The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies and Dell Technologies announce the launch of the Dell Student Security Operations Center. The center will prepare UT students for careers in cybersecurity while helping to protect UT’s campus.
During the semester-long initiative, students will work in the center operated in partnership with UT’s Office of Innovative Technologies through the college’s PATH — Professional Advancement Through Hands-On Learning — certificate, which combines industry certifications, classroom instruction, lectures, and hands-on lab environments. They will earn academic credit while developing practical experience and industry-recognized skills in one of the highest-demand fields in the country.
Students will complete a set of training requirements and certifications before going on to serve as Level 1 SOC analysts, an entry-level role that exists in professional security operations centers worldwide. They will monitor real alerts, investigate threats and respond to incidents alongside Dell’s Managed Detection and Response team, which provides 24/7 managed threat monitoring across the university’s network.
The Student Security Operations Center program is developed and managed by Dell in collaboration with the college and UT OIT.
Launched by and housed within the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, the Student Security Operations Center will serve students across UT through the CECS intercollegiate hub model and its partnerships with all colleges in developing intercollegiate programs and experiences.
The pilot program, which launched fall 2026, currently is limited to CECS and Tickle College of Engineering students. The goal is to formally integrate it into CECS curriculum in spring 2027 so that all UT students have access through CECS campuswide program offerings.
More than 400,000 cybersecurity roles are currently unfilled across the United States— a gap that is widening as AI-driven threats accelerate in both volume and sophistication. CECS in collaboration with Dell addresses the need for a new approach to talent development for future workforce alignment. The Dell Student SOC program at UT is designed to address that need through an approach that provides real work in a live environment with real stakes.
“Applied cybersecurity is not only an emerging workforce need for the state of Tennessee. It’s also part of our critical infrastructure as a country,” said Ozlem Kilic, UT vice provost and CECS founding dean. “With the advent of artificial intelligence and increasing amounts of data, we want to ensure that we have a workforce that is ready to protect the information and intellectual property that we’re producing. The Dell collaboration is a strong example of how we work closely with industry to provide UT students with an applied learning experience on how to secure information and advance their understanding of applied cybersecurity principles in a meaningful way at UT.”
Fran Bogle, Dell Technologies senior vice president for higher education and healthcare, noted that “higher education institutions are under real pressure and this program gives them a practical way forward: stronger security coverage and investment in the next generation of talent at the same time. UT Knoxville is one of the first, and we are ready to bring this model to more campuses.”
Ramon Padilla Jr., vice chancellor for information technology and digital innovation for the University of Tennessee System, said, “working with Dell gave us the security operations capability we needed and the Student SOC program has been a win on both sides. Our students are getting skills and experience that translate directly into careers and we are building a stronger security posture in the process.”