Protecting the critical infrastructure of this country is essential to the preservation of lives as they are now lived. The time has come for leaders in higher education to recognize and creatively respond to the opportunity and realities of protecting the national critical infrastructure. To do this effectively, the academy must embrace and implement a vision that is truly interdisciplinary in program development and deployment, balances basic research with applied research and integrates this vision into the curriculum, facilitates technology transfer, is engaged through strategic alliances and collaborative efforts, and balances public interest/national security with individual rights. Leaders model the way.