Strategic Consortium of Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), has been around for over 30 years and CEO Paul Santilli explained what they work towards accomplishing.

"The goal of our organization is to equip people with the knowledge and tools to be able to understand how data can work with you through intelligence to drive strategies and processes that will achieve positive business outcomes," Santilli said.

A few years ago SCIP and Mercyhurst University became partners with the organization working to help introduce students to the field of Competitive Intelligence in the private sector and they even offered students memberships into SCIP.

"A perfect relationship was developed, we started incorporating SCIP, what it has to offer and a lot of it's educational products into our curriculum," Brian Fuller, Executive Director Office of Strategic Initiatives at Mercyhurst University said.

Now, SCIP is working to develop Intelligence Centers of Excellence (ICoEs) and strategically placing them throughout the entire world.

"They will have regional intelligence communities across the globe in many different countries or cities that will focus on the regional needs of how data and intelligence can make improvements to their local societies," Santilli said.

"Here in North America, there were two locations chosen of all the applicants and one is here in Erie, Pennsylvania, Mercyhurst University. We are considered the Mid-Atlantic SCIP Intelligence Center of Excellence, we are the only one in the United States," Fuller said.

"We are very proud that Mercyhurst University was chosen, it is a testament to our program, faculty and more importantly the level of our students and what they can provide," Fuller said.

"SCIP is doing a lot of things that complement the intelligence aspects that Mercyhurst University is pioneering in their curriculum and together we can do positive things," Santilli said.