The CAE Candidates Program

In partnership with the National Security Agency (NSA), the CAE Candidates Program helps regionally accredited US colleges and universities prepare high-quality applications for the designation of NSA/DHS National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in cyber defense education.

The CAE Candidates Program recruits mentors, pre-submission reviewers, and peer reviewers to assist new applicants in earning the CAE designation. To qualify, individuals must have significantly contributed to a CAE application resulting in the award of the designation for their institution. This work requires a strong commitment of time and understanding of both the Program of Study validation and the CAE application process. An ability to provide clear, accurate and timely explanation of program requirements and responses to applicant questions is essential. Additional requirements and expectation are listed below.

Mentor
Works with candidate colleges who are assessed to be within six months of applying for the Program of Study Validation and CAE Designation. Mentors are available to answer questions and assist candidates while they enter criteria information into the application.

Pre-Submission Reviewer
Completes a thorough evaluation of candidate’s application prior to submission to strengthen the candidate application. Pre-submission Reviewers provide a report to the candidate with recommended revisions.

Peer Reviewer
Conduct peer reviews of final application for Academic Endorsement and/or NCAE-C Designation.

Mentor and Reviewer Requirements

To ensure the integrity and effectiveness of the Program of Study validation and CAE application and designation process The CAE Candidates National Center and CAE Program Office at the NSA will require mentors and reviewers to adhere to the criteria below.

 POS/CAE Application Knowledge and Experience: Mentor and Peer Reviewers must be directly responsible for earning the updated program of study validation / CAE designation for your institution. Mentors and reviewers are expected to have a strong understanding of the requirements and to provide accurate feedback.

Timely Completion and Ethics: All mentors and peer reviewers are expected to complete assigned reviews promptly while upholding a strict code of ethics, including:

• Not delegating, reassigning or outsourcing mentor or reviewer responsibility to others.
• Demonstrating adherence to NCAE-C core values and guiding principles (referencing CAE-C Requirements Document p.i).
• Reporting any conflicts of interest in accordance with the self-declaration document provided by the CAE Program Office at the NSA.
• Completing mentoring and peer reviewing assignments while not sharing the name of the institution or any institution-related information.

Workshop Attendance: Ability to attend at least one CAE application workshop annually is required to stay updated and aligned with program developments.

 Final Approval: All Mentors and Peer Reviewers must be Approved by both the CAE Candidates National Center (CCNC) and the CAE Program Office at the NSA. Once approved, you will be added to the active mentor and peer reviewer list.

Inaccurate or delayed feedback can negatively impact the mentee institution.  New mentors and reviewers should expect their work to be reviewed by more experienced mentors/reviewers and/or program staff. Those who are found to provide inaccurate or delayed information will be asked to attend additional training and/or may be removed from the active mentor and peer reviewer list. 

Mentor and Reviewer Application Process

Step 1.  Initiate the process by submitting a Mentor/Reviewer Application available below.   

Step 2.  CAE Candidates National Center and the CAE Program Office at the NSA jointly review applications and select potential mentors/reviewers.

Step 3.  If selected, you will receive an invitation to a Mentor & Peer Reviewer Workshop where you will complete a peer review under the guidance of content experts and experienced peer reviewers.

Step 4:  Upon successful completion of your peer review under the guidance of content experts and experienced peer reviewers at the workshop, you will be added to the active mentor list.   

Note: Not all applicants will be selected as mentors or peer reviewers.  Those who are not selected may still meet Outreach requirement 9, through any number of activities, such as actively engage with the CAE Community through:

• Participation in Tech Talk sessions: CAE Tech Talk Resources
• Sharing resources with the CAE community via:
• CARD – The CAE Resource Directory: CAE Resource Directory
• Clark Center: Clark Center

Refer to the CAE Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) Program Guidance, requirement 9, Outreach for a complete list.