Cedar Crest leaning into technology leadership with Harmon Center

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With technology ever evolving, Cedar Crest College is investing in the Elaine & John Harmon Center for Leadership in Technology to help it build on its tech and leadership training. 

Beverly Magda, founding director of the Center, said focusing on leadership in technology is important for a school, like Cedar Crest, that focuses on women’s education. 

“Women remain underrepresented in technology fields, particularly in leadership roles,” Magda said. “The numbers become even smaller in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data science.”  

Magda said Cedar Crest believes it is critical that women have both the technical skills and leadership capabilities to help drive innovation and decision-making. 

“When women are underrepresented, they miss out on technology being designed and developed for them and we lose valuable prospectives, innovation, and problem-solving approaches,” Magda said. “As a primarily women’s college, we have a unique opportunity to create pathways into high-demand careers and prepare students to not just work in technology, but to lead in it.” 

The college had a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for June 16 to mark the start of renovations at the center. 

The renovation is designed to transform a residence into a hub for learning, collaboration, and innovation.  

The purpose is to create flexible spaces that support how students, faculty, industry partners, and community leaders work and learn together. 

The space will include collaborative learning spaces, meeting and event space for business and community leaders to convene, and areas for workforce and professional development programming.  

“It will allow us to host events and programming that include workshops and leadership programs, industry roundtables, networking events, and technology-focused learning experiences,” Magda said. 

Programming will focus on technologies shaping the future such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, data science, and computer science. 

But Magda said most importantly, the school will be emphasizing essential skills such as ethics, leadership, communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.  

“As AI rapidly evolves and technologies change, the essential skills become even more important. Our goal is to prepare students not just for today’s jobs, but for careers that may not even exist yet,” she said. 

Magda said there definitely is a demand for the skills they are teaching through the Harmon Center.  

“One of the consistent messages we hear from employers is that they need employees who can combine technical knowledge with strong leadership and professional skills,” she said. “Across industries, employers tell us they are looking for individuals who can think critically, communicate effectively, collaborate across teams, adapt to change, and lead in increasingly technology-driven environments.”