• Certification programs help system administrators stand out from their peers while expanding and validating their skills. 
• Certification training and testing help IT professionals earn professional credibility and more power to direct and control their career paths. 
• Numerous certifications are available, but several are exceptionally valued and respected. 
• This article is for system administrators and IT professionals who want to expand their knowledge and professional credibility through certification programs.

System administrators are the glue holding together business operations, ensuring smooth-running IT infrastructures. The role requires in-demand career skills that range from server and client configuration and maintenance to access controls, network services and application resource requirements. SysAdmins may even work with more user-facing products, like directory and name services, network addressing, database services, web and desktop applications, and email. They’re often the company “tech expert” – sometimes at several organizations simultaneously. 

System administrator certifications help IT professionals navigate their career paths, expand their knowledge and demonstrate their expertise to managers and employers. SysAdmin certs may even help you secure managerial and executive level jobs and higher pay.

We’ve all seen headlines about major hacks and data breaches of major companies — it can feel like nobody’s safe. Security is a constant learning curve, and what we learn when things go wrong can help defend against similar threats and would-be incidents in the future.

That’s why we’re excited to welcome three of the sharpest security experts — Lesley Carhart, director of incident response, Dragos; Sherrod DeGrippo, director of threat intelligence strategy, Microsoft; and Rachel Tobac, friendly hacker and CEO, SocialProof Security — to the Security Stage on September 21 at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023.

In a session called “What We Can Learn from Cybersecurity Trash Fires,” our panel will talk about the lessons we can take from some of the cybersecurity horror stories — or “trash fires” — they’ve seen in their careers.

In this judgment-free space, we’ll discuss how security incidents can be prevented by learning and heeding the lessons from yesteryear. You’ll hear hand-picked examples of cybersecurity trash fires from the top professionals in their fields, and you’ll take away actionable advice and relatable guidance on both what — and what not — to do.

Come to learn how to make the world less hackable, and leave with the tools and knowledge to take on the challenges as the next generation of security leaders.

Learn more about our speakers — and their qualifications for tackling this challenging course — below.

Lesley Carhart: Dragos, director of incident response for North America

Lesley Carhart leads response to, and proactively hunts for, threats in customers’ industrial control system (ICS) environments. After four years as a principal incident responder at Dragos, Lesley now manages a team of incident response and digital forensics professionals across North America. Carhart investigates commodity, targeted and insider threat cases in industrial networks. Carhart is also a certified instructor and curriculum developer for Dragos’ incident-response and threat-hunting courses.

Prior to joining Dragos, Carhart was the incident response team lead at Motorola Solutions. Lesley is honored to be retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserves and to have received recognition such as DEF CON Hacker of the Year, SANS Difference Maker, and Power Player from SC Magazine.

Carhart also organizes résumé and interview clinics at several cybersecurity conferences, and they lecture, blog and tweet prolifically about cybersecurity. When not working, Carhart enjoys being a youth martial arts instructor.

Sherrod DeGrippo: Microsoft, director of threat intelligence strategy

Sherrod DeGrippo was selected as Cybersecurity Woman of the Year in 2022 and Cybersecurity PR Spokesperson of the year for 2021. Prior to joining Microsoft, she was VP of threat research and detection at Proofpoint, where she led a global team of threat researchers, malware reverse engineers and threat intelligence analysts.

DeGrippo’s career in cybersecurity spans 19 years with prior roles that include leading the security business services team at Nexum, senior solutions engineer for Symantec, senior security consultant for Secureworks and senior network security analyst for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

A frequently cited threat intelligence expert, DeGrippo’s media experience includes televised appearances on BBC News and commentary in the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times and more. She is a well-known public speaker having presented at Black Hat, RSA Conference,  Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference (RMISC), Sleuthcon and others. In her personal time, she co-hosts the cultural lifestyle podcast Bit Obscene and spends time with her rescue dog, Boris Karloff.

Rachel Tobac: SocialProof Security, friendly hacker and CEO

Rachel Tobac helps people and companies keep their data safe by training and pen testing them on social engineering risks. She was also second-place winner of Def Con’s wild spectator sport, the Social Engineering Capture the Flag contest, three years in a row.

Tobac has shared her real-life social engineering stories with NPR, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The New York Times, CNN, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and many more. In her remaining spare time, she sits on the CISA Technical Advisory Committee and is the chair of the board for the nonprofit Women in Security and Privacy (WISP), where she works to advance women to lead in the fields.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 takes place on September 19–21 in San Francisco. Tickets will sell out. Buy your pass now and save $400 before prices go up at the door. For a limited time, when you book your Disrupt hotel room at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA, you’ll automatically be eligible to enter a raffle for a chance to win two spots for you and a guest to attend the exclusive TechCrunch Disrupt Speakers & Editors Dinner. Book your room today. More hotel raffle details here.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

Industrial policy is all the rage. The Biden administration is infatuated with tax breaks, subsidies, and mandates meant to encourage—or coerce—firms to locate or expand operations in America. Biden’s team is primarily selling these actions as a way to strengthen national security, particularly in relation to China. But they are also telling folks that their policies will boost U.S. manufacturing and revitalize local economies across the country. State officials have been making similar claims about their industrial policies for years, and like them, Biden’s big plans will fail.

The CHIPS HIPS and Science Act calls for $280 billion in various subsidies, tax credits, and loan programs to stimulate semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing on U.S. soil. Similarly, the poorly named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides at least $400 billion in government subsidies for non-carbon-based energy such as wind and solar, as well as subsidies for electric vehicles and related infrastructure e.g., charging stations.

Government officials and lawmakers from both major parties are praising the CHIPS Act. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of it becoming law, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, said he’s “…proud to be an early supporter of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.” Meanwhile, shortly after the CHIPS Act became law, Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA), a Democrat, said “I am delighted about $52 billion that is going into chips, that is going into domestic manufacturing, that is going into strengthening our supply chains.”

There is less support for the IRA among Republicans, but even GOP lawmakers appreciate the investments in their districts that the IRA is subsidizing.

The CHIPS Act and the IRA thrust national industrial policy into the spotlight. While the federal government has doled out subsidies (farm subsidies, banks, Solyndra) and levied mandates (Davis-Bacon Act, Buy American Act) on companies for decades, the most latest laws appear to be ushering in a new age of interventionist economic policy. Unlike China or Russia, the U.S. has largely avoided national industrial planning. Economic development incentives are typically viewed as something government officials do to help companies in their districts or important industries in their states. It is cronyism for sure, but no one thinks the government is trying to control the economy or even an industry. Now, that is less clear.

Supporters of the CHIPS Act say it is needed to limit China’s ability to access the latest microchip technology as part of a bigger effort to slow China’s growing influence in the world. The Biden administration is actively working with Japan, The Netherlands, and other countries to shape the microchip industry—where inputs come from, where the final products are made, and who can buy them.

Similarly, the stricter buy American mandates in the IRA are trying to shape supply chains and manufacturing processes for electric vehicles, batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. To be eligible for the IRA’s subsidies, electric vehicles and their components need to be built in North America. America’s large fiscal capacity—we have the largest economy in the world—means we can generally out-subsidize any other country if that is our goal. Other countries are unlikely to go down without a fight though, as demonstrated by Europe’s response—its own $270 billon green subsidy program.

Watching countries compete in a subsidy arms race reminds me of the subsidy battles among U.S. states. Bloated state budgets stuffed with federal pandemic aid caused states to go on a spending spree in 2022. Ohio gave chipmaker Intel INTC hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies and tax credits to open a new manufacturing campus. Michigan’s state Economic Development authority gave $600 million in grants and $1.1 billion in tax breaks and lower utility rates to General Motors GM to convince it to build a new truck and battery factory in the state. North Carolina gave $121 million to Boom Supersonic, an aviation company with plans to build hypersonic passenger planes. There are hundreds of other examples.

Biden and his administration can learn something from states’ experiences with subsidies—they do not boost economic growth. Research shows that economic development incentives are rarely sent to places with the worst economies, despite repeated claims that they can revitalize downtrodden towns or cities. But even if the money did flow to the places in the worst shape, it would not do much: Research finds that while subsidies typically increase employment in the targeted industry, they do not increase total employment or per capita incomes.

Despite the evidence that subsidies are generally economic losers, some folks, including some economists, suggest we rethink them rather than scrap them. In a new NBER paper, economists Dani Rodrik, Nathan Lane, and Réka Juhász (RLJ) argue that industrial policy, of which subsidies are a key part, should be evaluated on narrower goals, such as whether it reallocates resources toward the targeted industry rather than whether it promotes broader economic growth.

But merely boosting an industry is not what politicians promise from more active industrial policy. They claim that economic growth will be widespread. In recent remarks about the IRA, Biden said “I wish I hadn’t called it that, because it has less to do with reducing inflation than it does to do with dealing with providing for alternatives that generate economic growth”.

If industrial policy only helps the targeted industry, any moral justification for it withers. Taking money from one group of taxpayers and giving it to another could be defended (though not by me) if the entire economy benefited. But if firms in the targeted industry are the only ones that benefit, or even worse, only certain firms get the spoils, most taxpayers have nothing to gain from letting politicians and bureaucrats play venture capitalist with their tax dollars.

RLJ also claim that for industrial policy to work, governments do not need to consistently pick winners, but rather pick enough winners to offset the losers. This is like a stock portfolio, where a couple of big winners can offset dozens of smaller losers. A safer alternative to picking individual stocks, however, is investing in the market via an index fund. This is the prudent choice for most investors and the more remunerative strategy on average, since actively managed funds generally do worse than passive index funds.

There is an index fund strategy for industrial policy: promoting competition and innovation through low taxes, modest regulation, and simple laws that apply to all firms. Instead of trying to pick winners, policymakers should focus on setting up an economic environment that allows for experimentation and incentivizes success. At the state level, Florida, South Dakota, and New Hampshire provide good models.

It is hard for policymakers to stick to this basic strategy since it does not provide many ribbon-cutting ceremonies or photo opportunities, but in the long run local economies and the national economy will benefit. Free markets are a tried-and-true mechanism for promoting prosperity and America has leveraged the power of free markets to become the largest economy in the world. Now is not the time to abandon what works.

Discover what’s next. In Bethel’s Doctor of Education: Leadership in K-12 Administration program, you’ll be prepared for the complex and challenging role of school and district leadership. By integrating a values-informed framework into your administrative practices, you’ll grow as a trustworthy leader capable of transforming students, colleagues, and communities. With an emphasis on innovation, clarity, and collaboration, you will be prepared to understand and meet the needs of today’s school communities.

Whether you work at a college, university, adult education center or serve in military or corporate training settings, UW’s online Ed.D. program will deliver you a strong background in the functional areas of higher education, preparing you for senior administrative positions as well as teaching in a higher education setting.

While the Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration stresses theoretical study and research, the Ed.D. emphasizes applied theory and research with the goal of providing a stronger foundation for enhancing your professional practice and leadership skills, making it possible for you to effect visionary changes in your organization.

Have Questions?
Contact our program coordinator!

Application Deadline

• January 15 - Fall/Summer
• September 15 - Spring

Minimum Admission Requirements

• A minimum of three years of full-time experience in higher education or a related field
• Master's degree from an institution accredited by a regional accrediting body in any academic discipline
• Minimum Graduate GPA: 3.0
• GRE scores: 151 verbal, 153 quantitative, and 4.0 analytical writing

International Students

• TOEFL: 550 minimum written or 80 minimum online, OR IELTS: 6.5 minimum overall score
• GRE: 151 in verbal, 153 quantitative; 4.0 in analytical writing

How to Apply
Please visit our program admission webpage for more details.

Below is a sampling of Higher Education Administration Ed.D. classes you might take as a student at the University of Wyoming:

• Educational Issues in Race, Class and Gender
• Community College Issues and Leadership
• Issues in Higher Education
• Higher Education Finance
• Advanced Organizational Leadership
• Leader as Direction Setter
• Law of Higher Education

View the full doctor of education higher education administration concentration degree program curriculum.

The UW Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration prepares you for upper level administrative positions at colleges and university and other post-secondary environments.

Higher Education Administration Careers

UW higher education administration Ed.D. alumni can work in the following positions: Vice president for academic services Assistant professor Professor Degree coordinator Residence coordinator Professional academic advisor Director of faculty outreach and support Vice president for student affairs Vice president for academic services Associate dean of students Director of student success

Research and write a dissertation based on your interests and career goals. latest dissertation titles include: “The perceptions of principals regarding the formative supervision of teachers” “Understanding the implicit costs of regulatory compliance at a small liberal arts college” “Higher education leadership and women: Understanding the work-life balance through the voices of real moms” As an online higher education administration doctoral student, you will have chance to earn a terminal degree while also retaining your position at your current institution. You will also develop the research and leadership skills to take your career in new directions and make a difference in students’ post-secondary experiences. Here are some reasons to consider the UW Ed.D. higher education administration program: Flexible Course Delivery Maintain your current work and life commitments while earning your doctorate. Courses are offered online and through a blended format of online and audio conferencing. Campus Orientation Spend one day on the UW campus near the beautiful Laramie Mountains, where you will learn about the program while getting to know faculty and fellow students. The remainder of your program takes place 100 percent online. Faculty Practitioner-Scholars Learn from faculty who have held various administrative positions in post-secondary settings and are also active scholars. UW higher education administration faculty study areas such as community colleges, adult education, distance education and social justice in higher education.   Assistantships Explore graduate assistantships in other campus departments. These opportunities offer full-time, on-campus students faculty research involvement, college-level teaching experiences and stipends.   Minor Add a graduate minor in qualitative research methods or quantitative research methods to your Ed.D. program. Travel Grants Pursue support to cover travel costs associated with presenting at or attending professional conferences. Scholarships Look into relevant graduate scholarships from UW, such as: Clarence Jayne Memorial Scholarship Kercher Family Scholarship in Education Accredited ]]> The College of Education at UW is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).   Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Select a degree program dedicated to excellence. The College of Education is among the approximately 100 institutions that belong to the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. We apply the CPED quality framework to help prepare you to become a skilled practitioner who can meet contemporary educational challenges. Are you considering an academic or leadership position in higher ed? These programs might be of interest:

Now that your award is up and running, how do you properly administer your project? This area will provide guidance on administering your project during its life cycle. Please use these links to familiarize yourself on the role of the principal investigator, the role of the research accountant and other key research administration areas such as allowable, allocable and reasonable costs (as defined under Uniform Guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget), proper financial management, as well as other key areas that you may encounter during the life of your project such as change of scope, hiring of consultants, issuance of subcontracts and more.

Research Accounting Services is a part of the Office of the Comptroller.  The organizational structure and members of the team are illustrated below.  Please reach out to any member of our team for assistance, however, it is recommended that you work directly with your assigned team member.  The list of assigned team members can be found on the Portfolio Assignments page or get the details from the Portfolio Assignments Excel file [XLSX].  You can also send an email to our general mailbox at ras@drexel.edu.

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The MBA Program is a 30 credit-hour program for the student with a latest undergraduate degree in business. For the student with a non-business degree, or who lacks coursework or work experience in key areas of undergraduate business study, foundation courses are required. The core program consists of 14 courses: eight core courses (12 credit-hours), one ethics course which integrates faith, ethics and work (3 credit-hours), three elective courses (9 credit-hours), and a two course capstone sequence (6 credit-hours). The elective courses may be chosen in a variety of areas.