The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has awarded a $2.5 million grant to Saint Louis University (SLU) to create a new center in SLU's School for Professional Studies, dedicated to preparing students for professional positions in the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

SLU was officially designated a U.S. Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) on September 14, 2022. Along with SLU, ODNI announced the University of Kansas and the University of New Hampshire as the newest members of the IC CAE program, an initiative to prepare and hire the next generation of diverse and qualified intelligence professionals.

The University of Kansas, the University of New Hampshire, and Saint Louis University join a network of more than 80 colleges and universities in the IC CAE program. The designation and grant funding will support the design and development of intelligence-related STEM curricula and programmatic training opportunities to prepare students for careers in the field of intelligence.

Joe Lyons, Ph.D., Director of the Security and Strategic Intelligence program in the SLU School for Professional Studies, will lead the program at Saint Louis University. The new center will be known as the Midwest-Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (MW-IC CAE). SLU will lead a consortium of universities and colleges to recruit and educate talented, diverse students interested in careers in the intelligence and national security fields.

The MW-IC CAE will allow university faculty, staff, students and intelligence community members to work collaboratively to create rich, engaged learning and teaching experiences. The leadership team aims to increase student success, build vital security partnerships, and bring individuals together to become members of an intellectually and demographically diverse, active learning community, preparing them for a career in the intelligence community.