The digital landscape of government is changing rapidly, and the State of Maryland is taking proactive steps to ensure it has the talent to keep pace. At the heart of this effort is the Maryland Institute for Innovative Computing (MIIC) program, a vital initiative administered by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County's (UMBC) Career Center and supported by state funding.

The MIIC concept was spearheaded by Jack Suess, UMBC's Vice President and Chief Information Officer, who recognized the critical need to create a dedicated pipeline for technical talent within state agencies. His vision has been instrumental in making this program a reality.

More than just an internship program, MIIC is a comprehensive strategy to recruit, compensate, mentor, and ultimately retain top college students in impactful technical careers right here in Maryland.

Between the summer of 2024 and the summer of 2025, MIIC successfully funded 34 technical internships across eight Maryland state agencies, representing an investment of nearly $174,000 in the state's emerging workforce. In total 178 interns have been supported by the program since its inception in 2022, totaling over $805,000 in state funds. 

This commitment to fostering a local talent pipeline has yielded significant results. Every single participating agency—including the Maryland Department of Information Technology (MD DoIT), the Comptroller of Maryland, and the Maryland State Archives—reported that their intern contributed directly to organizational improvement.

Agencies are quick to highlight the dual benefit. Not only does the program allow them to "discover and retain new talent," but it also provides crucial financial relief. One agency head noted the program provides "extra dollars saved" that can be redirected toward "other strategic security goals." Another supervisor praised the added efficiency, stating the intern helped them "tackle some administrative burdens."

The 34 students who participated came from a diverse mix of backgrounds, boasting a strong average GPA of 3.59 and representing seven in-state and two out-of-state institutions. Their majors read like a blueprint for the modern technical workforce: Cybersecurity, Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, and Software Engineering.

For these students, the internships were a critical bridge between academic theory and real-world application.

"This internship has been an extremely valuable experience for me as an Information Systems major. It has allowed me to gain hands-on experience in a field that I am passionate about and has helped me to develop both professionally and personally."
- MIIC Intern

In short, MIIC is not just finding great students; it's actively helping agencies become more secure, efficient, and productive.

Welcome to the Maryland Institute for Innovative Computing (MIIC) newsletter.

MIIC's purpose is to bring together researchers, educators, industry, and government to address challenges in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing. Our goal is to keep Maryland at the forefront of discovery while providing opportunities for students, educators, and professionals to develop the skills needed in today's technology-driven world.

"The Range is a perfect fit for student-driven projects—whether they're preparing for competitions or building their own capture-the-flag challenges." 

In this first issue, we highlight one of our flagship initiatives: Maryland's access to the U.S. Cyber Range. This cloud-based training environment provides hands-on cybersecurity learning without the need for local infrastructure.

Thanks to state support, K–12 school systems and public higher education institutions can use the platform at no cost.

This newsletter will feature updates, events, and opportunities to engage with MIIC. We look forward to building this community together! 

For the complete newsletter, please check out the flyer attached!