WASHINGTON, D.C. - Mercyhurst University has been tapped to house the first-ever U.S. Intelligence Community Hall of Fame, the school announced Tuesday during a kickoff ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The Hall of Fame is a partnership between two key intelligence groups – the Intelligence and National Security Alliance and the Intelligence and National Security Foundation – and Mercyhurst’s Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences.

Mercyhurst landed the hall of fame through the help of former Pennsylvania Gov. and U.S. Homeland Security Sec. Tom Ridge, for whom the College of Intelligence Studies is named.

The first of its kind hall of fame will recognize recipients of the William Oliver Baker Award. That’s the highest honor presented by the INSA annually since 1984. Previous winners include former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency, General Michael Hayden; and former director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Both men are scheduled to attend Tuesday’s ceremony, held at the National Press Club in Washington.

The Hall of Fame is expected to put Mercyhurst and for Erie on the national stage, according to Caleb Pifer, Mercyhurst’s Vice President for External Relations & Advancement.

“This is really a great honor for us to be able to highlight the people who keep us all safe when we sleep at night, but often times we don’t know the work that they do,” Pifer said.

The following officials have confirmed their attendance at Tuesday evening’s ceremony, according to Mercyhurst:

  • Governor Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security;
  • The Honorable James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence;
  • General Michael Hayden, (USAF Retired) former director of the CIA and the National Security Agency;
  • The Honorable Richard Kerr, former deputy director of the CIA;
  • Major General Jim Keffer, director for cyber at Lockheed Martin and former chief of staff for U.S. Cyber Command;
  • The Honorable Tish Long, former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;
  • The Honorable Arthur Money, former assistant secretary of Defense;
  • Admiral William Studeman, (USN Retired), former deputy director of the CIA, director of the NSA, and director of Naval Intelligence.

The Baker Award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the intelligence and national security affairs of the United States, according to a statement from Mercyhurst.

The university will renovate space in its library to accommodate for the hall of fame.

“Long before I became affiliated with Mercyhurst University, it had established itself as a frontrunner in the field of intelligence studies education,” said Gov. Ridge in a statement. “To be the namesake for the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences and to have the university house my archives is an honor. With the university’s innovative efforts to prepare the best possible intelligence analysts in defense of our country, I can think of no better place to establish the intelligence community’s Hall of Fame.”

There are four distinct elements to the hall, Pifer said. They include:

  • A hall of honor featuring all the proclamations awarded by the INSA since 1984.
  • A special case profiling each year’s winner.
  • An interactive “smart” table that will allow visitors to access biographical information and media stories on each of the awardees.
  • A display of the unique role that each of the nation’s national security organizations plays in the Intelligence Community (IC).

Mercyhurst developed its Intelligence Studies program in 1992. The school is known as the first non-governmental initiative of its kind in the United States.

The Hall of Fame is expected to open as early as the Fall 2020 semester.