ESL makes $3 million commitment to name ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute at RIT

Andrea Deckert//March 8, 2022//

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Rochester Institute of Technology’s home for cybersecurity has a new name – the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute – after ESL made a $3 million commitment to the college to help RIT address the importance of cybersecurity as a discipline and profession, and how it affects people and organizations around the world.

RIT’s computing security hub has been named the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, in honor of a $3 million commitment made to the university. (photo submitted)

The commitment was announced Tuesday at Cybersecurity Hall on RIT’s campus, home of the ESL GCI. The institute was formed in 2020, with the goal of making RIT a premier location for cybersecurity education, training and research.

Cybersecurity is a core priority for ESL, which provides banking and wealth management services to more than 388,000 members and 13,500 businesses. ESL also employs more than 900 people in the Greater Rochester area and holds more than $9.1 billion in assets.

This is the largest naming rights commitment ESL has ever secured.

“As Greater Rochester becomes a hub for careers in these sectors, ESL believes in supporting the institutions and programs that are educating and creating the next generation of professionals and leaders,” said Faheem Masood, ESL president and CEO, in a statement.

In 2020, ESL GCI opened the doors to its 52,000-square-foot building, adjoining the university’s computing college.

In addition to state-of-the-art computer labs, teaching spaces and a conference center, the institute is home to the Cyber Range and Training Center. The Cyber Range is a virtual and physical lab that allows people to simulate network cyberattacks and problem-solving scenarios.

ESL has a history with the institute. The credit union was one of the first supporters of its Cybersecurity Bootcamp, a 15-week professional training program designed to help people start an entry-level career in cybersecurity.

“The ESL/RIT partnership empowers us to do the hard work that will improve business practices and confront criminal cyber activity that upends the way of life for people and businesses here, across the nation and around the world,” said RIT President David Munson, in a statement.

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