Penn College

Students earn credentials

Allentown and Lenhartsville residents along with 26 other Pennsylvania College of Technology students were awarded certifications from the Innovation Engineering Institute during a Feb. 15 ceremony on campus.

Those earning the Innovation Engineering Blue Belt in 2021 were Keegan M. Nytz, of Allentown, a construction management major and Ashley E. Donat, of Lenhartsville, a business administration major.

The institute, part of Eureka! Ranch, awards both a Blue Belt and a Black Belt in Innovation Engineering, and the expectation set for those who receive the credentials is high, Eureka! Ranch CEO and President Maggie Nichols told recipients.

“People realize there’s something special in the water in the way you think,” Nichols said, who attended the event virtually. “You see things through the lens of ‘I can’ instead of ‘I can’t.’”

Twenty-five students received the Innovation Engineering Blue Belt following their successful completion of all modules within the Principles of Innovation course at the college in 2021.

The class teaches the fundamentals of innovation, emphasizing crucial thinking, problem solving and stimuli for effective innovation.

It is one of three classes that, together, lead to a competency credential in innovation leadership.

Throughout the coursework, students learn tangible skills to transform innovation from a random and risky event into a reliable system.

Those who complete all components of the final course in the series, Advanced Innovation II, are eligible for the Innovation Engineering Black Belt.

The class applies the tools and strategies learned in previous coursework into a system approach to innovation, culminating in the identification of a problem or opportunity and research of solutions in order to create an innovation project.

Three Penn College students or recent graduates were awarded the Innovation Engineering Black Belt for 2021.

Penn College’s innovation coursework capitalizes on a partnership with Eureka! Ranch, founded by former Procter and Gamble master marketing inventor Doug Hall to develop reliable methods for increasing innovation speed and decreasing risk. Hall’s system was developed based on the “continuous improvement” principles of W. Edwards Deming, who is credited with helping to rebuild Japan’s economy after World War II.

The Innovation Engineering Blue Belt and Black Belt certifications are recognized throughout industry.

The skills they represent are applicable to any field.

To learn more about innovation leadership at Penn College, visit pct.edu/innovation.