HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –Marshall University’s Institute for Cybersecurity is partnering with Intuit, the global financial technology platform, to establish a student-led Security Operations Center.
According to a release, the center will create a hands-on cyber defense environment that prepares students to defend real-world enterprise systems and infrastructure.
The center will be student-led and will provide Marshall students with an immersive experience in threat detection, incident response, long analysis, and adversary emulation. The students will also be under faculty supervision and industry mentorship, while operating in structured analyst tiers, developing mission-ready capabilities aligned with workforce needs across government, defense, financial services, and critical infrastructure sectors.
“This partnership represents the convergence of education and operational reality,” ICS Executive Director Alex Donathan said. “By building a student-led SOC in collaboration with Intuit, we are not simulating cyber defense; we are operationalizing it. Our student’s graduate mission-ready, with experience that directly translates to protecting enterprise systems and national infrastructure.”
“To protect the digital ecosystem of tomorrow, we need a pipeline of cyber talent with real-world expertise,” Intuit’s Chief Information Security Officer Atticus Tysen said. “Working with Marshall University to build a student-led Security Operations Center provides exactly that, an immersive training ground for cyber defense. This investment ensure students are mission-ready from day one, having mastered the hands-on skills required to secure enterprise systems at scale.”
The announcement marks a milestone for Intuit and Marshall in fulfilling a commitment made in March 2025 to enhance education and economic development in West Virginia.
The SOC will integrate enterprise-grade security tooling, structured playbooks, and industry-informed governance frameworks. Students will gain exposure to:
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) technologies
Threat intelligence workflows
Compliance and audit documentation processes
Executive-level incident reporting
In addition to experiential learning, the SOC will support research initiatives, workforce development programming, and community cybersecurity assistance efforts across West Virginia and the Appalachian region.
For more information about the Institute for Cyber Security visit their website here.