University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Program Offers Students the Chance to
Explore the Real World of James Bond

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 1, 2008) — The man with the golden gun won’t be laying in wait to ensnare them with the latest in improbable technology. Nor will Miss Moneypenny be waiting breathlessly at the other end of the phone for their report.

But the careers that lay ahead for the more than 40 students currently associated with Cal State Northridge’s Intelligence Studies Center may still impact the fate of the world, particularly how American leaders react to global crises.

"When you talk about intelligence work, most people think James Bond," said associate professor of sociology James David Ballard, center coordinator. "But the reality is that most jobs in the intelligence community are as analysts sitting behind a desk every day gathering data and information and becoming an expert on a particular country, movement or region of the world. And when something happens, the policy makers, the administration, or the military turn to them for advice and input because of their expertise."

CSUN’s program, in its second year, is part of a seven-campus consortium within the California State University system taking part in a multi-year, multi-million dollar effort launched last year by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence—funded through the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency—to increase the pool of eligible applicants for positions in the intelligence community.

The effort, known as the California State University Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (CSU-ACE), is designed to help students with language acquisition, critical thinking and writing, foreign studies, geological information services skills, national security and intelligence studies and related fields of study.

Northridge is receiving $56,000 a year, for a total of $280,000 over the course of five years, as part of the effort.

"This program offers our students a chance to understand the intelligence community and explore the careers therein," Ballard said. "The students are exposed to the not-well-known world of intelligence gathering and analysis and in the process they have chances to gain valuable experience, internships and secure possible job opportunities."

Ballard said the intrigue and romance that usually characterizes Hollywood’s version of the intelligence community is far from the truth.

Instead of being able to jump out of a flying airplane, land on a snow-covered mountain and dodge gunfire while snowboarding and sipping a martini at the same time, most members of the intelligence community need a knowledge of the world, an appreciation of history, good analytical skills, superior methodological skills and the ability to think critically.

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"In short, all the skills a good liberal arts education can give you," Ballard said.

He likened the students in the program to those who pursue advanced academic degrees that focus on a particular subject. The only difference, he said, is that instead of having a goal of being a professor or researcher at an academic institution, his students want to apply their knowledge in defense of their country.

He added the students in his program have a variety of majors, from political science and history to information systems and sociology, and take classes across disciplines. They focus on those courses that enhance their knowledge of other language and the world, as well as their analytical and critical thinking abilities. The program soffers a monthly seminar featuring topics identified by the members of the intelligence community as particularly important.

Ballard said the intelligence community has traditionally focused on East Coast schools to recruit new members. Recognition of the rich diversity of people living in the West, and particularly Southern California, led the federal government to set up the program with the CSU.

Just because students take part in the program does not mean that they will necessarily end up working for the FBI, the CIA or military intelligence, "though that is the goal of some of them," Ballard said.

"The skills they receive in the program make them a valuable asset for a variety of agencies," he said. "They can work for the FBI, CIA, NSA, military intelligence, or they can work for a Congressional committee, a state agency or even local law enforcement. This program just happens to be funded by the intelligence community, which is looking for the best and brightest."