Center for Digital Education launches higher ed cybersecurity council

The Center for Digital Education has launched a national Higher Education Cybersecurity Council to help college and university leaders strengthen cyber resilience, protect research and data, and guide secure AI adoption. The initiative arrives as campuses face rising ransomware, compliance pressure, and fast-growing cybersecurity spending. Why it matters: - Higher education is trying to preserve open research and teaching environments while defending sensitive data, critical systems, and institutional trust. - The council is meant to help colleges and universities treat cybersecurity as a leadership and governance issue, not just an IT task. - Campus leaders are facing rising pressure from AI adoption, cloud expansion, decentralized operations, ransomware, and compliance demands. - U.S. higher education institutions collectively spend an estimated $2 billion to $4 billion a year on cybersecurity, with spending growing more than 15% annually, according to the EDUCAUSE Core Data Service Interactive Almanac. What happened: - The Center for Digital Education announced the launch of its Higher Education Cybersecurity Council on June 18, 2026. - The council is a national, peer-driven initiative for higher education leaders. - Members include CISOs, CIOs, research security leaders, and governance experts from 2-year and 4-year public and private institutions. - The council is designed to support strategic and operational cybersecurity leadership across campus environments. The details: - The Center for Digital Education will use the council’s work to develop operational playbooks, executive and board communication guides, and governance frameworks for secure AI adoption. - Teri Takai, chief programs officer for the Center for Digital Education, said the goal is to help institutions treat cybersecurity as a strategic priority rather than a standalone technology function. - Brian Cohen, vice president of the Center for Digital Education and former CIO at the City University of New York, will lead the council. - Cohen said the council is focused on execution and on creating resources that institutions can actually use. - Council members will meet in virtual collaborative sessions throughout the year. - The program will end with a full-day, in-person leadership summit. - Private-sector participation is intentionally limited to preserve peer exchange. - Select partners will contribute expertise and help turn the council’s insights into guidance for the broader sector. - Participation is limited to senior leaders responsible for cybersecurity strategy, governance, and institutional resilience. - A select number of company participation opportunities are available for organizations that want to support cybersecurity innovation in higher education. - The council adds to e.Republic’s portfolio of national leadership communities, including the Higher Education AI Council, Higher Education IT Leadership Council, and K-12 Education Leadership Council. - e.Republic also operates cross-sector communities including the AI Council, City Manager Innovation Council, Cybersecurity Council, Digital Communities Program, Digital States Program, Future of Data Council, Government Efficiency Council, and HHS 2030 Program. - More information is available in the company’s announcement . - The Center for Digital Education is a national benchmarking and advisory organization for K-12 and higher education leaders. - The Center for Digital Education is a trusted brand of e.Republic. - The organization also directs readers to its website . - e.Republic provided a contact line for Heidi Lorenzen at +1 925-353-8836. - The release also included the company’s LinkedIn page . Between the lines: - The council appears designed to convert peer experience into practical tools that can influence budgets, board conversations, and campus governance. - Limiting private-sector participation suggests the Center for Digital Education wants the group to function as a trusted practitioner forum first, with industry input kept selective. - The focus on secure AI adoption signals that cybersecurity and AI governance are becoming linked in higher education planning. What’s next: - Council members will begin virtual collaboration sessions over the course of the year. - The Center for Digital Education will publish resources and frameworks developed from the council’s work. - The in-person summit is expected to surface collective guidance for the broader higher education sector. - More institutions and select industry partners may join through the limited participation process.