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Impending Winter Storm

Due to the impending storm, all classes and activities at Kean’s main campus in Union, Kean Ocean and Kean Skylands will operate remotely on Sunday, January 25, and Monday, January 26

The University will observe a Winter Wellness Day on Tuesday, January 27, following the storm. Classes and activities will not run, and employees are not expected to work. 

Due to ongoing power problems at the Kean Ocean Gateway Building, all classes and activities at Kean Ocean will also be conducted remotely on Friday, January 23, and Saturday, January 24. This only applies to Kean Ocean. 

Only essential personnel should report to work as scheduled during the remote period or on Tuesday. Employees with questions about their status should consult their supervisor. 

Keanu’s Kitchen will remain open for residential students on the Union campus from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday. 

All vehicles parked on the Union campus must be relocated to the Vaughn-Eames overnight parking lot by 6 p.m. on Saturday to allow for storm cleanup. Vehicles parked elsewhere on campus are subject to relocation. 

Kean Cybersecurity Project Identifies Threats Facing Nonprofit Organizations

Three students in Kean's NPCIR cybersecurity program in front of banners

Kean students are gaining valuable real-world experience in the NPCIR program

Kean University students are gaining hands-on experience fighting cybercrime through an innovative project tracking cyberattacks against non-profit organizations, a sector often overlooked in cybersecurity reporting. 

The Non-Profit Cyber Incident Repository (NPCIR), led by Stanley Mierzwa, Ph.D., director and lecturer at Kean’s Center for Cybersecurity, has compiled hundreds of publicly reported cybersecurity incidents involving nonprofits and non-governmental organizations around the world. Now in its third iteration, the dataset includes more than 400 attacks dating back to 2011 and is updated twice each academic year.  

“There are cyberattacks every minute of every day,” Mierzwa said. “Public organizations are more likely to have the means to track these incidents, but non-profits often do not. Our goal is to fill that gap and make this information accessible and most importantly, give students the chance to lead that effort.” 

Over the past three years, dozens of Kean student interns under Mierzwa in the NPCIR program, most of whom are information technology, computer science and criminal justice majors, have contributed to the project. Each semester, a new group joins the NPCIR team to conduct open-source intelligence reviews and monitor emerging digital threats targeting nonprofits. 

“Those in information security or cybersecurity, as well as non-profit leaders, need to be aware of the field and actively know how to look at threat intelligence information,” Mierzwa said. “These students are learning to selectively focus on attacks against this sector and gain situational awareness of what is transpiring. There’s so much value to this experience for them.” 

For Joel Leiva, a junior computer science major, the internship was transformative and helped him sharpen his professional focus. 

“This has been a great experience,” Leiva said. “The internship gave me the resources to investigate companies that get hacked and observe different attack factors and how they responded to them. I’ve taken so much away from it.” 

“This project gives our students a clear view of how cybersecurity challenges unfold beyond the classroom,” said Jin Wang, Ph.D., dean of Kean’s College of Business and Public Management. “Engaging with real incidents helps them develop the judgment and analytical skills that are essential in this field.” 

Beyond student development, the project is making an impact in the broader cybersecurity community. More than 60 organizations have requested access to the NPCIR dataset, which is available at no cost. The initiative reflects Kean’s mission to support public impact and expand experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for meaningful careers. 

The work also builds on Kean’s growing reputation in cybersecurity education. The Center for Cybersecurity has earned designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education from the National Security Agency, a recognition that helped lay the foundation for the repository’s creation. 

Through the NPCIR, Kean students are advancing their academic and professional goals while contributing to a resource that benefits communities.