U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer made a public appearance at SUNY Adirondack on Feb. 19 to talk about the college’s computer security-related programs.

Schumer spoke of the significance of SUNY Adirondack’s recently added Information Technology degrees in Cybersecurity and Information Security to a crowd at the Northwest Bay Conference Center in Adirondack Hall.

“I’d love to see it as a natural model we can spread throughout the country because the need for cybersecurity is not just in Washington, Warren and Saratoga counties — it’s throughout America,” Schumer said.

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Marc Guise and Associate Professor of Graphic Arts Nick Paigo talked about the need for the college’s Information Technology programs, and local employers Jared Humiston of Adirondack Technical Solutions and Alan Van Tassel of StoredTech discussed the local need for technology-related education.

SUNY Adirondack students Rolf Ronning of Bolton and Stephen Mann of Glens Falls also spoke to the group about why they chose to go into the program.

Schumer told the audience that he plans to seek a “very significant amount” of federal funding to improve cybersecurity across the country.

“Whether it’s the private sector or the public sector, the need for trained people who can protect us from cyberattack and cybertheft is enormous and vital,” Schumer said. “It’s one of the most important jobs that we can do in this country over the next decade.”