Monday, Congressman Pfluger met with Angelo State University (ASU) President Ronnie Hawkins Jr. during his first visit to the ASU campus in his official congressional capacity. During the meeting, President Hawkins outlined the university’s plans to establish a Center of Excellence in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence through a partnership with Goodfellow Air Force Base, the local community, and existing industry relationships. Congressman Pfluger and President Hawkins released a statement following the meeting:

Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11): “Angelo State University is a special asset to the Concho Valley. It is impressive to see the continued enrollment growth of the student body and hear about the great work underway to educate the next generation of leaders in a variety of industries. I am particularly excited about the educational advancements they are making in cybersecurity and intelligence—two fields that will become increasingly important in the years to come. It is an honor to represent Angelo State University, and I look forward to partnering with President Hawkins and the Ram Family to support their mission and work towards the good of the San Angelo Community.”

Angelo State University President Ronnie Hawkins Jr: “Having the opportunity to sit down and speak with Congressman Pfluger is important to ASU. He understands the impact of security – whether it is cyber, homeland or physical – to this part of the country. The proposed Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence is critical to not only developing our future workforce, but protecting and posturing this region to lay the foundation and infrastructure for the future.”

Angelo State University is a leader in intelligence and cyber analysis through its Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies, and the university is consistently ranked one of the nation’s “Best Colleges” by the Princeton Review. Recently, ASU received federal funding from the National Security Agency (NSA) to support STEM literacy in cybersecurity for minorities. The university received the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) designation in 2010 after expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented populations.