Lycoming College’s entrepreneurial energy was on full display this spring as faculty members Jay Azriel, Krish Pillai, and Adrian Rublein helped prepare 21 innovative students for the College’s inaugural Shark Tank competition. This exciting event, inspired by computer science major Mohamed Ebeid ’26 and the Warrior Coding Club’s student board, brought together students from a range of majors eager to turn their creative ideas into reality. The April 11, 2025, event began with a dinner for participants, alumni judges, and guests. After dinner, seven student teams had ten minutes each to pitch their product or service ideas to a distinguished panel of alumni “Sharks,” followed by a lively five-minute Q&A. The stakes were high, with $3,600 in prize money awarded to the top three teams. Every participant took home a commemorative Shark Tank T-shirt to celebrate their entrepreneurial journey. The judging panel featured accomplished alumni Katie (Wuestner) Bell ’00, vice president for communications and marketing at Pennsylvania College of Technology; Rachael (Heaton) Clark ’08, regional market leader and vice president at C&N Bank; Matthew Gartner ’88, managing partner and creative director at Impact Advertising/Impact Video; and Marshall Winters ’07, entrepreneur and fractional CFO. Their expertise and encouragement offered invaluable insights to the student competitors. Azriel, Sloter Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship, expressed his pride in the studentdriven nature of the event. “This competition showcases the entrepreneurial mindset at Lycoming College. Not only was it initiated by students, but it brought together students from across majors,” he said. “Our alumni panel deserves a huge thanks. They generously gave their Friday evening to mentor and advise each team. That alumni support makes these cross-campus entrepreneurship events possible.” With alumni engagement at its core, Lycoming’s Shark Tank promises to be a new tradition that inspires and connects Warriors past and present. Lycoming students can now pursue a nursing degree through an accelerated program with DeSales University. The program affiliation provides Lycoming students with the opportunity to graduate with a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming before pursuing an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) from DeSales. Multiple majors at Lycoming can serve as a pathway to the DeSales 15-month degree program, with biology, biochemistry, and chemistry fulfilling many of the prerequisites. The ABSN at DeSales touts a long history of delivering a high-quality nursing education with an average National Council Licensure Examination first-time pass rate of 96.67 percent. DeSales will admit up to five Lycoming students every year. “DeSales has a long tradition of providing high quality nursing programs to our students. Partnering with Lycoming to add prepared students to the ABSN program will help secure much needed qualified nursing professionals to the healthcare system. We are looking forward to this opportunity for collaboration between our institutions,” said LYCOMING OFFERS COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS FOR NURSING AND ENGINEERING LYCOMING’S FIRST SHARK TANK IGNITES ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Terese Wignot, Ph.D., provost of DeSales University. “Lycoming College’s natural science programs prepare students for entry to nursing school with hands-on experiences, such as faculty-led research, internships, and job shadowing opportunities with nationally recognized health systems,” said Jeff Newman, Ph.D., professor of biology at Lycoming. Lycoming students can also pursue a dual degree in engineering through the Washington University affiliate program in as few as six years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States will see continued growth in engineering jobs with strong annual wages, and the new dual degree in engineering will prepare Lycoming students to address this market shift. “At WashU, we are delighted with our new engineering partnership with Lycoming College,” said Ronald Laue, Ph.D., senior assistant dean for Engineering Dual Degree at Washington University in St. Louis. “During our site visit and extensive meetings with faculty and staff at Lycoming College, it is clear both schools align perfectly in our mutual commitment to 8 LYCOMING COLLEGE 2025 FALL MAGAZINE
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