Jul 23, 2014 12:01 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The U.S. National Security Administration (NSA) is addressing a shortage of cyber professionals by recruiting directly from colleges and universities.

According to USA Today, the NSA has added five schools to a program not even two years old, the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations Program. A recent report from the RAND Corporation detailed a national shortage on cyber security professionals, a field in which the NSA is the leading employer.

The NSA announced last week that the following schools will be joining the program: New York University, Towson University in Maryland, The United States Military Academy, University of Cincinnati and University of New Orleans.

In the report, RAND stated "the NSA makes" its "cyber security professionals," as 80 percent of their new recruits are assigned entry-level posts.

In the NSA's college initiative, students will get the chance to participate in a summer internship, though their work will not have anything to do with official U.S. government affairs. Steven LaFountain, the NSA's dean of the College of Cyber, said the participating colleges are chosen carefully based on criteria that weighs ethical and legal factors.

"In the application process and in all collaboration with selected schools, the importance of integrity and compliance is always paramount," he said in a news release. "Cybersecurity technical skills are increasingly important in national defense, but it's equally important to operate within the bounds of the law and Constitution."

Though the schools do not receive monetary funding for their participation, LaFountain said the real value lies in the benefits to the students. For example, students will get research tasks based on unclassified NSA cases. Participating schools can also be eligible for grants from the National Science Foundation.

"We created this to support cyber professionals for the intelligence community, the military and law enforcement," LaFountain told USA Today. "I think we need to do some things even prior to college. We're running a prototype program this summer that focuses on middle and high school students."

The U.S. Military Academy's Director of the Army Cyber Institute, Col. Gregory Conti, said there has been a "critical shortage of people in this area" brought to light thanks to "a nationwide awakening over the last five years or so."

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