Office of the President

It is an honor and a privilege to lead this remarkable institution dedicated to serving our nation.  As President, I want to ensure that NIU operates as the academic hub for the Intelligence Community (IC) and broader Federal Government, preparing intelligence and national security professionals to be tomorrow’s strategic leaders.

NIU will help chart how the IC prepares future generations of professionals to address emerging national security challenges through higher education best practices.  NIU’s unique value resides in our fully immersive, classified academic experience where professionals from around the Federal Government study, conduct research, and learn together about our nation’s most important emergent topics.

This interagency interaction, facilitated by our expert faculty, in our classrooms and lecture halls allows students to share perspectives, issues, and organizational cultures. Knowledge generation across the intelligence and national security enterprises happens at NIU and pays dividends when students and alumni return to their organizations with expanded abilities to leverage their strategic knowledge and extended network.

Many of our graduates go on to serve the Nation with distinction as directors of agencies, senior leaders of organizations, and military flag and general officers. These roles represent only some of the paths our graduates have taken; every student beginning their academic journey with us has the potential to utilize what they learn to reach new heights in their career. We strive to provide opportunities and inspire students to share their research, engage across the IC, and make the most of their time at NIU to enable their success in service of our Nation. Graduates can apply not only what they learned at NIU but how they pursued that knowledge long after graduation for lasting impact across the Federal Government and beyond.

I invite you to learn more about our university, explore our academic programs, career and research fellowship opportunities, latest podcast episodes, and research publications. As the Nation’s intelligence university, our mission is to ready the next generation of IC professionals, imbued with the insight and ability to confidently address emerging challenges, and preserve our freedoms.

John R. Ballard, Ph.D.
President
National Intelligence University