Media/News

Overview

The Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) was created on June 15, 2022; an important initiative designed to further place the faculty expertise of USF at the forefront of helping the state of Florida address critical issues facing the nation in sectors such as defense, economic and political security, health and human security and infrastructure and environmental security.

GNSI is led by executive director General (Ret) Frank McKenzie, former chief of U.S. Central Command, who brings extensive leadership skills and a decades-long military and international security background to the position.

As part of his new role, McKenzie will also take over the leadership of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida. Earlier this fall, McKenzie was also named Chairman of the Board of Directors for USF's Institute of Applied Engineering (IAE).

Leading the university's strategic Global and National Security initiative, GNSI aligns well with USF’s new strategic goals of creating high-impact partnerships to build a prosperous future for our communities, and helping solve global problems through faculty excellence in research.