NEWS

Arkansas University Takes Major Leap Forward in Cyberspace Research and Training with CORE Opening

Red River Radio | By Jeff Ferrell,

Published February 12, 2026 at 12:43 PM CST

Dedication ceremony took place this week for the Cyberspace Operations Research and Education Center, better known as CORE. The center is located at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), all made possible by a $1 million grant.

Cyber innovation and cybersecurity have taken a major step forward in Arkansas with the opening of the Cyberspace Operations Research and Education Center, better known as CORE. The center is located at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR).
CORE came about thanks largely to a $1 million grant from the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Tim Griffin made the grant announcement back on Halloween day in 2024. Now 15-months later, Griffin returned for this week’s dedication ceremony on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.

The image above is a screenshot taken from video on the YouTube channel of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. Griffin delivered brief remarks during a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, with the opening of the Cyberspace Operations Research and Education Center, better known as CORE. It is located at UA in Little Rock.

As Griffin took the podium to deliver a few remarks to the large crowd on hand, he made his position clear once again about the vital role of all things cyber in the future of Arkansas and the nation as a whole.
Griffin addressed the irony that something so critical is virtually unknown to a vast swath of the public. “There's an old saying, you may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you. Well, you may not be interested in this from a national security standpoint, but your life's going to be impacted by it. So, kudos to you for picking something that's going to help us all.”
During the 2024 grant announcement, Griffin congratulated UALR as a recognized leader in cybersecurity education, and promised CORE would take the program to the next level. That means enhancing researching opportunities and supporting the development of Arkansas’ future cybersecurity workforce.

Cybersecurity students at UA at Little Rock participate in a Digital Forensics class, collecting digital evidence in a practical scenario. The students search through digital evidence devices such as write-blockers, forensic bridges, computers, hard drives, and running software in an effort to capture data. Photo taken February 2, 2026.

And to that end, just one example of that promise came about last month. The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees approved a new Master of Science in Cybersecurity at UALR during its January meeting. University marketing writer Justin Bates explained in a February 2, 2026, campus news article that the proposal for the degree now heads to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board for its consideration. UA Little Rock plans to begin offering the degree in fall 2026, if approved. The Master of Science in Cybersecurity would prepare students for a wide variety of careers, ranging from cyber defense to risk management, to the protection of critical infrastructure, to name just a few.