What Happens When a Four-Star General Builds an Institute?

Text the ATB Team! We'd love to hear from you! What does it take to build a national security institute from the ground up? Retired Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie joins Jim Cardoso on “At the Boundary” one last time, before moving on to lead the Citadel. As the founding executive director of the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) and executive director of Cyber Florida, General McKenzie helped transform the University of South Florida into a growing hub for national security research and policy. Now, as he prepares to leave USF and become the 21st president of The Citadel, he reflects on the lessons learned from building two influential organizations and preparing USF students to become next generation of leaders. Host Jim Cardoso discusses the origins of GNSI and Cyber Florida, the importance of the role universities play in supporting national defense, and the rapid growth of initiatives like the Future Strategist Program. General McKenzie also shares his thoughts on leadership, and why preparing students for uncertainty may be one of higher education’s most important missions. Whether you're interested in national security, defense policy, cybersecurity, higher education, military leadership, or the future workforce, this episode offers a rare look at the vision behind one of America's fastest-growing university-based national security enterprises. Subscribe to At the Boundary for conversations on global affairs, defense strategy, cybersecurity, emerging technologies, and the issues shaping the future of national and international security. **Links for the Episode:** • Drs. Rob Burrell and Peter Garretson’s video on the book, “Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space”     GNSI on X GNSI on Linkedin GNSI on YouTube ***At the Boundary***  from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida,  features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about. A **"boundary"** is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus. The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy ***At the Boundary.*** Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page**.**