Sen. Roger Wicker to participate in ribbon-cutting
OXFORD,
Miss. – The Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, which began
operation last fall at the University of Mississippi, has moved to a
new campus location and will officially open there with a
ribbon-cutting and program at 1 p.m. Monday (April 13).
Intelligence
analysts of the future will be educated in the former Athletics
Department building, west of the Turner Center at 620 All-American
Drive.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) will speak at the event, along with Chancellor Robert Khayat and other UM officials.
“The University of Mississippi is well-known in our nation’s defense and intelligence communities because of the school’s strong foreign language and international studies programs,” Wicker said. “The Center for Intelligence and Security Studies definitely strengthens those credentials. Through this program, Ole Miss is better positioned to continue graduating students with the skills our intelligence agencies need to keep our country secure.”
The center is led by Carl Jensen, assistant professor of legal studies and former special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Students enrolling in the program can receive a minor in intelligence and security studies, and the center has triggered a new intensive Arabic language program in the Department of Modern Languages, the only Arabic program in the state of Mississippi.
“What we’ve found is intelligence agencies are looking for people with core competencies,” Jensen said. “So when a student graduates, he or she may have a degree in Chinese or computer science, but they are also well-versed in how intelligence organizations operate.”
School of Applied Sciences Dean Linda Chitwood said, “In addition, the center will serve as a research hub, bringing together faculty from a variety of disciplines to collaborate on related research.”
Selection for the minor is competitive among interested students based on applications submitted typically in their sophomore year, Jensen said. All applicants who wish to pursue an internship or employment in an agency in the intelligence community must first pass a background check.
More than 100 students have participated in the program by taking an introductory intelligence course, said Melissa Graves, the center’s project coordinator.
In March, the center selected its first cohort of 17 students to complete the minor. The cohort members have an average GPA of 3.69, a number comparable to the average GPA for entrance to the UM School of Medicine. The students come from all over campus, including the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies.
Jessica Moeller, a senior from Tupelo majoring in Chinese with a minor in anthropology, was chosen to be part of the first cohort to go through the program.
“I was attracted to the center because of the unprecedented approach it has taken to preparing students for careers in intelligence,” she said. “It provides practical training in intelligence methodology as well as writing and briefing to complement the unique focuses that each of the cohort members have.
“I feel that when I come out of the program, I will not only be qualified to work in intelligence but will also already be comfortable with the day-to-day tasks that I will face. Dr. Jensen and the staff at the center have already gone above and beyond to help provide as many opportunities as possible to me. Their dedication is the key to making this not just an enriching educational program but also a truly enjoyable experience.”
For more information, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/ciss/ .