Penn College business faculty member joins innovation summit

Pennsylvania College of Technology faculty member Chip D. Baumgardner recently attended an Innovation Engineering Summit at Eureka! Ranch, an innovation think tank and training company.

Baumgardner, an associate professor of business administration/management, was among 30 guests invited to the summit.

Baumgardner holds a Black Belt in Innovation Engineering from Eureka! Ranch’s Innovation Engineering Institute, as well as a Black Belt in Six Sigma.

He has taken the lead in implementing the innovation leadership curriculum at Penn College, which includes a three-course competency credential that can lead to a Black Belt in Innovation Engineering. The coursework capitalizes on the college’s partnership with Eureka! Ranch, founded by Doug Hall, a former Proctor & Gamble master marketing inventor, to develop reliable methods for increasing innovation speed and decreasing risk.

“When preparing for the summit, the Eureka! Ranch and Innovation Engineering team convened to outline the event,” Baumgardner’s invitation reads. “Each team member was tasked with providing a roster of individuals actively engaged in daily innovation efforts. These individuals are perceived as perceptive contributors who possess a holistic perspective.”

During the summit, Baumgardner and other attendees joined Hall and the Innovation Engineering and Eureka! Ranch leadership team to help shape new offerings from the company.

The group was offered a preview of Hall’s next book, “Proactive Problem-Solving,” due to be published in 2024, which served as a base for discussion.

Among the results of the summit are updates to the curriculum for the Innovation Engineering Blue Belt and Black Belt programs, and Eureka! Ranch plans to use Penn College as a test point for the changes.

“This is a continuation of our extended relationship with Eureka! Ranch,” Baumgardner explained.

Baumgardner holds a doctorate from George Mason University, master’s degrees from Penn State and Shippensburg universities, and a bachelor’s degree from Penn State. In addition to innovation leadership, he teaches courses in economics, management and sport and event management.

He is also leading a third cohort through the college’s Innovation Academy, which helps Penn College employees to earn the Blue Belt in Innovation Engineering.

Penn College was ranked No. 1 in Most Innovative Schools – Regional Colleges North in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

To learn more about Penn College’s innovation leadership credential, call 570-327-4505.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.