Jacksonville University Wins NSA Grant of More Than $720,000 to Train Duval Teachers in Cybersecurity and AI

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville University announced in mid-October that it has won a three-year National Security Agency award of more than $720,000 to train Duval County middle and high school teachers in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The project is called CyberJaxAI-PATH: Cyber AI Pathways for K-12 Education. The university's announcement, dated Oct. 14, 2026, names the University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools as partners.

The announcement describes a program in which Jacksonville University would design and deliver teacher training, help shape curriculum and visit classrooms. The reporting here rests on the university's own news article, written by Matt Harris. No comment from the partner institutions was found, so nothing in this story is attributed to them.

What the award pays for

The National Security Agency award is described as lasting three years and totaling more than $720,000. The university's announcement does not give an exact figure beyond that. It also does not say which National Security Agency program is providing the money.

The project is named CyberJaxAI-PATH, and its full title is Cyber AI Pathways for K-12 Education. That title signals the aim, which is to build a path of cybersecurity and AI learning that runs through the public schools. The announcement does not say when the grant period begins or when the first group of teachers will start.

A four-week program for Duval educators

The training is aimed at the people who teach students directly. Educators in Duval County middle and high schools are the intended participants. The announcement presents the program as a way to prepare students for careers in these fields, and Zeng's quote in it makes that point.

Jacksonville University will design and deliver a four-week professional development program for Duval County middle and high school educators. The subject matter is artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The program blends self-paced online coursework with intensive in-person instruction.

Optional components are meant to help participants prepare for the Florida Teacher Certification Examination in Computer Science K-12. The word optional matters here, because the announcement does not describe the exam preparation as a requirement. It also does not say that completing the program leads to certification.

The university has not said how many teachers will take part or how many schools they will come from. It has not said when the first cohort will begin. Teachers who are curious about the timing should not assume any date. Until those details are released, the size and timing of the effort are unknown.

What Jacksonville University will do

The university describes its role as having three parts. The first is teacher training, which is the four-week program described above. The second is collaborative curriculum design and assessment, and the third is in-classroom engagement through faculty-led visits and experiential learning.

For that classroom work, the university plans to use its Center for Cybersecurity and its JU Cyber Range. The announcement does not say how often faculty will visit schools or which schools will be visited. It also does not list lesson plans or specific topics for the teacher training.

The announcement names University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools as partners. It describes Jacksonville University's duties in much more detail than those of the other three. The specific duties of each partner are not spelled out in the information available.

Why the university says it matters

Dr. Lisa Sutherland, Jacksonville University's interim president, tied the project to local hiring needs. "Jacksonville's employers have expressed the need for a strong cybersecurity and AI workforce," she said in the announcement. Her statement frames the grant as a workforce effort that starts with teachers.

Dr. Mini Zeng is the lead principal investigator. She is director of the university's School of Engineering and Technology and an associate professor of computing science and cybersecurity. "We cannot prepare students for tomorrow's careers using yesterday's curriculum," Zeng said in the announcement.

The research team

The award is led by faculty from the university's computing and cybersecurity programs. Their titles show the mix of skills behind the application. The announcement lists them by name and rank.

Zeng leads the project with two co-principal investigators. Dr. Saeed Al-Haj is an associate professor of cybersecurity. Dr. Reza Sarraf is an associate professor of computing science.

The announcement names these three faculty members as the principal investigators. It does not give separate assignments or schedules for each of them. No other investigators are named in the material reviewed for this story.

What is still unknown

The announcement is the only source reviewed for this story. It reads as a description of plans, so readers should treat the details as the university's account. Facts that have not been released are not filled in here.

Several basic questions remain open after the announcement. The exact award amount is not stated beyond more than $720,000. The start date, the date of the first teacher cohort and the number of teachers and schools are also missing.

The announcement does not name the specific National Security Agency program that funds the award. No statements from University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville or Duval County Public Schools were found. This story is based on the university's own announcement, and no other outlet's coverage of it was found.

What to know

• Who: Jacksonville University, with the University of North Florida, Florida State College at Jacksonville and Duval County Public Schools as partners.
• Funding: A three-year National Security Agency award of more than $720,000.
• Program: CyberJaxAI-PATH, a four-week professional development program for Duval middle and high school educators on AI and cybersecurity.
• Format: Self-paced online coursework plus intensive in-person instruction, with optional preparation for the Florida Teacher Certification Examination in Computer Science K-12.
• Not yet stated: Start date, first cohort date, number of teachers or schools, and the National Security Agency program behind the award.

Teachers and school leaders who want to know how to take part should contact their school or Duval County Public Schools, because this story found no application process described in the announcement. Jacksonville University's news page carries the original article by Matt Harris. The announcement was made in mid-October, so details about enrollment may be released later.