Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ron Burgess discussing cyber threat at This is Auburn Speaker Series event

The current cyber threat and how Auburn University is responding will be the topic of the This is Auburn Speaker Series event Friday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. at the Auburn Alumni Center. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr., senior counsel for national security programs, cyber programs and military affairs at Auburn University, is giving the talk.

Burgess, a 1974 graduate of Auburn, retired from the U.S. Army as the 17th director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and returned to Auburn in 2012 in his current role. Throughout his 38-year career in the U.S. Army and now in his role with Auburn, Burgess continues to serve in the U.S. intelligence community by providing leadership and strategic vision that contributes to safeguarding U.S. national security interests. Burgess has also served as a former acting principal deputy director of National Intelligence.

"The current cyber threat is real. Whether it be nation-state actors or non-state actors, the threat is here to stay. This talk will focus on the current threat and how Auburn University is addressing the threat and preparing the next generation of cyber warriors," Burgess said.

Burgess' responsibilities include interfacing and coordinating with federal, state and commercial entities on all matters related to national security interests, cyber and Auburn University's emphasis, focus and interaction with the military. He also interfaces, coordinates and briefs congressional offices and Alabama legislative offices on all of the above to advance Auburn University's interests.

Burgess was commissioned in Military Intelligence through the Auburn University ROTC Program in 1974. He earned a Master of Science degree in education from the University of Southern California in 1980 and a Master of Military Arts and Science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in 1986. On May 16, 2015, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa, from LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. He received the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Auburn University Alumni Association. In June of 2015, he was inducted into the United States Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Burgess was inducted into the Army ROTC National Hall of Fame on June 10, 2016.

The This is Auburn Speaker Series concludes Nov. 18 with Dr. Seth Oster of the Southeastern Raptor Center. For more information on the series, go to http://www.auburn.edu/thisisauburnspeakerseries.