First place went to the University of California, Irvine, while the University of Virginia finished second and Dakota State University finished third.

Members of this year’s Cyber Warriors team include Tavares Baker, Timothy Bukowski, Avery Hughes, Brody Long, Jeremy MacRoberts, Myles Nieman, Martin Quintana, Samuel Regelbrugge, Martin Topp and Maggie Trowbridge.

This year, 250 teams began the CCDC season, working to combat attempted network security breaches and related challenges that test their problem-solving, technical abilities and teamwork. Indiana Tech’s Cyber Warriors have become a powerhouse in this arena, having won 18 Indiana state championships, including 11 straight.

The Cyber Warriors earned their spot in the championship in March by winning the Erich J. Spengler CCDC Midwest Regional title—the university’s fifth.

For six straight years, every member of the Cyber Warriors has secured a job in their career field prior to graduating. Indiana Tech has also established a growing national reputation as a producer of top talent in the cybersecurity field—so much so it was recognized in 2023 as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Learn more about Indiana Tech’s cybersecurity program and the Cyber Warriors at academics.indianatech.edu/colleges/cyber-center.

“At Avancez, we strongly believe in investing in our people and providing opportunities for growth and development. Programs like EDGE allow us to strengthen our institutional knowledge and facilitate advancement from within,” said Michael Hudson, plant manager, Avancez Fort Wayne. “In addition to these clear people-centric advantages, EDGE will help us enhance our internal talent pipeline while reducing external recruitment costs. This will keep us ahead of the competition in today’s rapidly changing and highly competitive market.”

Through the EDGE program, Avancez is helping to remove barriers to higher education by making it easier for Team Members to balance work, education, financial and personal commitments. Thanks to tuition support through Indiana’s Workforce Ready Grant and the company’s tuition assistance program, the certificate comes at no cost to eligible participants. In addition, students can earn their certificate in Production Management onsite at the company’s Fort Wayne location by attending classes one day per week during work hours.

“Indiana Tech is excited to partner with forward-thinking companies like Avancez,” said Dr. Steve Herendeen, vice president for strategic enrollment management at Indiana Tech. “The Avancez EDGE program demonstrates Avancez’s commitment to Team Member development by removing the barriers to education for working adults. This innovative partnership not only empowers Avancez Team Members but also provides a scalable model for other companies looking to invest in their workforce while reducing training costs and improving employee retention.”

As the state of Indiana faces growing workforce demands, Indiana Tech’s on-site corporate education model offers a customizable solution for companies committed to employee growth and business success. Organizations interested in exploring similar partnerships can contact Doug Furnish, senior admissions representative at 260.299.3196 or djfurnish@indianatech.edu.

Once again this year, Indiana Tech was recognized as a Top 10 Gold Level institution. According to Viqtory, a Gold Level designation indicates Indiana Tech is among those schools that scored within 10 percent of the 10th ranking school in their category. Indiana Tech has been recognized as a Military Friendly® School for 14 straight years.

“Indiana Tech has a long-standing tradition of connecting those who have served our country with tools and resources that will help them move forward in their careers,” said Ryan Ozbun, associate vice president of Military and Veteran Services at Indiana Tech. “The outstanding professionals on my team take great pride in upholding this tradition and knowing the ins and outs of military education benefits so that military and veteran students at Indiana Tech get the quality service they deserve.”

Methodology, criteria, and weightings were determined by Viqtory with input from the Military Friendly® Advisory Council of independent leaders in the higher education and military recruitment community. Final ratings were determined by combining the institution’s survey scores with the assessment of the institution’s ability to meet thresholds for Student Retention, Graduation, Job Placement, Loan Repayment, Persistence (Degree Advancement or Transfer) and Loan Default rates for all students and, specifically, for student veterans.

Indiana Tech’s Military and Veteran Services team extends its support to current members of the military, veterans and military spouses, as well as civilian employees of the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Veterans Affairs. Learn more at military.indianatech.edu.

The Pacesetter MBA is a 30-credit hour program. Students can start at any time throughout the year by enrolling in one of Indiana Tech’s eight session start dates each year. Enrollees in the Pacesetter pathway then earn their degree over the course of two six-month terms. The pathway combines eight regularly scheduled classes with two self-paced courses for students to complete their degree.

Meeting the needs of today’s students and employers, Indiana Tech’s Pacesetter MBA features ten compelling concentrations to choose from, including:

• Business Analytics
• Global Health Leadership
• Health Care Management
• Human Resources
• Management
• Marketing
• Professional Studies
• Project Management
• Sport Administration
• Supply Chain Management

“Indiana Tech’s College of Business is proud to serve students at every degree level by aligning with top industry needs and preparing them for leadership success in their careers,” said Dean of the College of Business at Indiana Tech, Dr. Angie Fincannon. “Our new Pacesetter MBA uniquely combines each student’s business experience from their field with opportunities to learn from experts and gain valuable skills and knowledge. It’s a program perfectly tailored to the needs of working professionals in today’s competitive job market.”

To learn more about the new program, visit academics.indianatech.edu/pacesetter-mba today.

Indiana Tech has completed its purchase of Building 36 on the Electric Works campus in Fort Wayne, a key step in establishing a home for Junction 36, the university’s new advanced manufacturing innovation center initiative. Indiana Tech first announced the Junction 36 initiative in August 2024 when it received a 5-year, $21 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. in support of the project. Funds from the Lilly Endowment grant helped underwrite the $1.5 million purchase cost of the building.

Building 36 is located on the west end of the Electric Works campus, at the corner of College and Wall Streets. Indiana Tech anticipates a timeframe of 18-24 months for turning the building into the home of Junction 36 and its associated services and facilities.

Junction 36 is comprised of three central components:

• Transformation of Building 36 on the Electric Works campus into a center for HardTech and advanced manufacturing innovation that will help grow local companies by connecting them to university-led research, development, and training. It will provide training related to Industry 4.0, business assistance for small-to-large organizations, spaces for business innovation teams and startups, and a variety of event spaces to host community gatherings as part of the innovation ecosystem at Electric Works and throughout Northeast Indiana. Under the leadership of Indiana Tech, Building 36 will facilitate and include:
  • Research and development
  • Testing and prototyping
  • Small batch production
  • Workforce training
  • Creator space/maker space
  • Automation innovation and development
  • Enterprise support services

• The Talent Connection, a program that will provide unique learning experiences that connect talent to the community in ways that create strong bonds and lead to enhanced talent attraction and retention. The program includes significantly expanded student service learning for Indiana Tech and other regional students, a new Fellows program focused on keeping top talent in the region and assigning Indiana Tech students as project partners and mentors for Amp Lab high school students.
  
  The Talent Connection Fellowship will recruit outstanding student leaders from the region and across the country to address larger problem-solving around the region’s most complex issues. Challenges will be submitted to the Fellows by area companies, nonprofits, civic organizations and communities for the development of solutions over a 1–2-year time period of collaborative work by the Fellows team.
  
• Public Workshop, a program to help diverse learners and entrepreneurs access support and overcome systemic barriers to advancing their education. Public Workshop will work to bring the benefits of the Indiana Tech initiative to wider regional audiences, helping more area residents and entrepreneurs reach their full potential by connecting them to a diverse set of resources. Working with partners around the region, Public Workshop will connect learners and entrepreneurs with wrap-around services such as early childhood education, affordable housing, training pathway guidance, and resources for personal health.

Junction 36 Executive Director Nate Cheviron commented, “The purchase of Building 36 at Electric Works is an exciting step in our development of the Junction 36 initiative. With a wide range of partners, we’ve already begun laying the groundwork for a project that will enable us to drive innovation, collaboration, and economic growth in our region. Both at Electric Works and at our main campus, we’ll be helping industry and education converge to create lasting impact.”

“As Northeast Indiana’s innovation district, Electric Works is the right place to realize Indiana Tech’s vision of Junction 36. We are pleased to partner with President Einolf and the Indiana Tech team to leverage our investment and secure the support of the Lilly Endowment to impact innovation, education, and workforce development in the region,” said Jeff Kingsbury, chief customer officer for Ancora, the lead developer of Electric Works.

For more information about Junction 36, Indiana Tech and Electric Works, please visit indianatech.edu and fortwayneelectricworks.com.

The Cyber Warriors earned their spot on Saturday by winning the Erich J. Spengler CCDC Midwest Regional title—the university’s fifth. They advance to the national competition, which is April 25 through 27 in in San Antonio, Texas. It also means Indiana Tech will finish the season as one of the top 10 cybersecurity teams in the nation for a second straight year.

“We took an early lead on the first day and held onto it throughout the entire competition, clearly showing our capabilities as a top team in the nation. Now, we get to move onto the national championship to test those capabilities once again,” said coach Matt Hansen, an Indiana Tech alum who was a championship-winning Cyber Warrior himself during his time as a Tech student. “I am incredibly proud of this team and the year-round hard work it put in. Something like this doesn’t happen on accident. These students will be technical leaders in the cybersecurity industry, without a doubt.”

Each year, competing cybersecurity teams work to combat attempted network security breaches and related challenges that test their problem-solving, technical abilities and teamwork at every turn. Indiana Tech’s Cyber Warriors have become a regional dynasty and a national powerhouse, having won 18 Indiana state championships, including 11 straight.

Members of this year’s Cyber Warriors team include Tavares Baker, Timothy Bukowski, Avery Hughes, Brody Long, Jeremy MacRoberts, Myles Nieman, Martin Quintana, Samuel Regelbrugge, Martin Topp and Maggie Trowbridge.

For six straight years, every member of the Cyber Warriors has secured a job in their career field prior to graduating. Indiana Tech has also established a growing national reputation as a producer of top talent in the cybersecurity field—so much so it was recognized in 2023 as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

Learn more about Indiana Tech’s cybersecurity program and the Cyber Warriors at academics.indianatech.edu/colleges/cyber-center.

Indiana Tech has been recognized as a Women in the Workplace Silver Partner by the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne. The honor was presented during the organization’s 2025 Women in the Workplace luncheon on March 12.

Indiana Tech earned Silver Partner-status for initiatives related to leadership, benefits and policies, and recruitment and retention.

• 44% of top leadership roles (vice president equivalent or higher) are comprised of women; 59% of the university’s middle management positions are held by women.
• According to the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne, Indiana Tech’s benefits package was one of the highest scored by the organization.
• The university was lauded for having a bounty of equitable recruitment and retention practices and prioritizing professional development opportunities for its employees.

“Indiana Tech thanks the Women’s fund of Greater Fort Wayne for this recognition. We proudly support its efforts in creating a positive community where women can flourish,” said Indiana Tech President Dr. Karl W. Einolf.

Founded in 2020, the Women’s Fund strives to build a community where women can thrive by making sure they economically and physically secure, safe and healthy.

This meet-and-greet event will be in Andorfer Commons on the Indiana Tech campus, 1600 E. Washington Blvd. Whether you’re a student, a professional in the field or just passionate about cybersecurity, this event is designed to bring together women in the cybersecurity field to share knowledge, build connections and support each other.

WiCyS is a national non-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to the recruitment, retention and advancement of women in the cybersecurity field. The Northern Indiana affiliate strives to amplify voices, break barriers and create a powerful community where women can rise, thrive and lead.

Indiana Tech’s new DBA program stands out from others with its project-based approach, offering a practical, hands-on learning experience that is directly applicable to challenges leaders face in today’s business world. Unlike most doctoral programs, Indiana Tech’s DBA does not require a dissertation for completion. The research-driven, project-focused approach allows students to use their research to drive change and make an immediate impact within their organizations. DBA students at Indiana Tech will gain valuable, actionable skills without the pressure of a traditional dissertation, making it an accessible and results-driven path to career advancement.

“Indiana Tech and our College of Business have a long history of developing innovative, quality programs that meet the needs of students and industry,” said Dr. Angie Fincannon, dean of the College of Business at Indiana Tech. “Our new Doctor of Business Administration program enhances our depth and breadth of doctoral offerings by aligning with our successful PhD in Global Leadership. Working professionals in our new DBA program will gain valuable knowledge, skills and corporate experience that will position them to be even more successful in their lives and careers. I appreciate all the hard work by our team in creating such a compelling new program.”

The DBA program at Indiana Tech provides the flexibility of an online program with the advantage of an in-person residency experience. With all courses delivered online in eight-week sessions, students can balance their studies with their professional and personal life. The one-time residency experience provides students with an opportunity to meet in person on campus, network with and learn alongside their professors and fellow students. The program also features a choice of three specialized concentrations: business strategy, health care management or marketing, allowing students to focus on the area that best aligns with their professional ambitions. Students can transfer up to nine credits from an accredited master’s degree, saving both time and money.

To learn more about the new program, visit indianatech.edu/dba, or contact Kristin Conley, Director of Admissions–Doctoral Programs, at 260.344.4395 or knconley@indianatech.edu.

You can still give at dayofgiving.indianatech.edu.