Skip to main content

The Illiana Consortium for Intelligence and Critical Technology (IC2Tech)

The Security of Our Country Begins with You

Ivy Tech Community College and Chicago State University (CSU) have formed a consortium under the designation "Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE)." The program is designed to create a talent pool for the Intelligence Community through educational opportunities in intelligence, national security, critical technologies, STEM, languages, and other relevant areas. The collaboration between CSU and Ivy Tech is intended to expand the reach of the IC CAE program, fostering a more diverse and knowledgeable talent pool for potential careers in the Intelligence Community (IC). IC CAE scholars are students who complete courses in these areas and participate in related activities, preparing them for potential careers within the IC.

Ivy Tech will conduct the following activities across campuses to support the IC CAE program:

  • Upgrade existing coursework, potentially enhancing cybersecurity or other technology courses to meet current and future demands.
  • Provide co-curricular programming for students, such as workshops, networking events, speaker series, or industry panels, that complement the academic curriculum.
  • Encourage faculty participation in professional development activities and facilitate faculty training to enhance their capabilities in effectively supporting the IC CAE program.
  • Award scholarships to qualified students, supporting their studies and recognizing their achievements within the IC CAE program.
  • Award funding for the study abroad program to provide students with international exposure and experience, which is particularly valuable in intelligence and global studies.

What is the Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence (IC CAE)?

The Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) Program was established in 2005 to meet the nation’s demand for diverse professionals to carry out national security priorities and obligations. The program aims to develop a cadre of qualified intelligence professionals to carry out America’s long-term national security initiatives by creating a competitive, knowledgeable, and diverse workforce through single and multi-year grants to colleges and universities.

IC CAE Logo

  • Intelligence is information gathered within or outside the U.S. regarding threats to our nation, its people, property, or interests; the development, proliferation, or use of weapons of mass destruction; and any other matter bearing on U.S. national or homeland security. Intelligence can provide insights not available elsewhere that warn of potential threats and opportunities, assess probable outcomes of proposed policy options, provide leadership profiles on foreign officials, and inform official travelers of counterintelligence and security threats.

  • The U.S. Intelligence Community is a coalition of 18 agencies and organizations, including the ODNI.

    1. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
    2. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
    3. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
    4. National Security Agency (NSA)
    5. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
    6. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
    7. Army Intelligence
    8. Navy Intelligence
    9. Marine Corps Intelligence
    10. Air Force Intelligence
    11. Space Force Intelligence
    12. Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence (OICI)
    13. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A)
    14. U.S. Coast Guard Intelligence
    15. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
    16. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of National Security Intelligence (ONSI)
    17. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR)
    18. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA)

  • A career in the Intelligence Community is both challenging and rewarding. You will join an elite group of U.S. citizens united to keep our nation's leaders informed, protect our country from outside threats, and develop the technology necessary to solve the national security issues of tomorrow. While the Intelligence Community hires from talent pools in many disciplines, there are two areas of critical need:

    Critical Foreign Languages and Critical and Emerging Technologies

    While the Intelligence Community hires from talent pools in many disciplines, there are two areas of critical need: Critical Foreign Languages and Critical and Emerging Technologies

  • The intelligence community always seeks to employ individuals who speak critical foreign languages. Some of the critical foreign languages include Akan/Twi, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian,  Belarusian, Bengali, Cantonese, Croatian, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Malay, Mandarin, Nepali, Persian, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Sinhala, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Ukrainian, Wolof, Yoruba, Zulu and many more. You can find a more comprehensive list here. You can self-assess your foreign language proficiency using an assessment tool. For more opportunities to develop skills in a foreign language, consider applying for a Boren Fellowship Award.

  • The intelligence community has an acute need for individuals with expertise in critical and emerging technologies. The National Science and Technology Council has identified the following critical and emerging technologies:

    • Advanced Computing
    • Advanced Engineering Materials
    • Advanced Gas Turbine Engine Technologies
    • Advanced Manufacturing
    • Advanced and Networked Sensing and Signature Management
    • Advanced Nuclear Energy Technologies
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Autonomous Systems and Robotics
    • Biotechnologies
    • Communication and Networking Technologies
    • Directed Energy
    • Financial Technologies
    • Human-Machine Interfaces
    • Hypersonics
    • Networked Sensors and Sensing
    • Quantum Information Technologies
    • Renewable Energy Generation and Storage
    • Semiconductors and Microelectronics
    • Space Technologies and Systems

     

    For more information on careers in intelligence, please visit:

     

    • An IC CAE Scholar Aspirant is a U.S. citizen student in good standing at an active or Legacy IC CAE Institution who participates in at least one IC CAE-focused activity each school year and is interested in serving within the Intelligence Community.
    • An IC CAE Scholar is a student interested in a career in the U.S. Intelligence Community. The program is offered at IC CAE institutions, including colleges and universities that partner with the Intelligence Community. To be eligible, the student must
      • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible for a security clearance.
      • Have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
      • Have completed at least two courses in IC CAE study areas.
      • Have participated in at least two IC CAE-focused activities each school year.

Events

The Intelligence Jumpstart Podcast

National Intelligence University hosts the Intelligence Jumpstart Podcast with Jane Doe.

Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) Newsletter

Working in the Intelligence Community - Videos from the CIA

Here are some testimonials about what it is like working in the IC:

Contact Us

Sources

video still
Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) [3:19]

Advisory Board - Ivy Tech Community College and Chicago State University

  • Luke McCormack (retired) - Former Chief Information Officer at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • Mark Roth - Practitioner Professor at The Catholic University of America and Former Senior Project Manager, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
  • Janice C. Haith - Former Chief Information Officer at the U.S. Navy
  • Glenn Hernandez - Former Chief Information Security Officer at the U.S. Coast Guard
  • Sean Filipowski (retired) - Rear Admiral at the U.S. Navy