MEDIA, Pa. — Shawn Manderson, a member of the Penn State Brandywine Advisory Board and vice president of enterprise risk management at ADP, Inc., spoke with computer science and information technology students at Brandywine about risk, resilience and technology careers on March 31.
Hosted by the Penn State Brandywine, Beaver and Hazleton Computer Science Consortium Industrial and Professional Advisory Council (CS-IPAC) and the Brandywine Technological Excellence and Digital Learning Committee, the hybrid event brought together students, faculty, staff and professionals for a deep and engaging conversation on the importance of being resilient in the workforce and different career paths students majoring in computer science and information technology could take.
In his presentation, Manderson challenged students to think beyond writing correct code and pointed them toward understanding how technology decisions create business, security, regulatory and reputational consequences. He highlighted key differences between academic and professional environments, emphasizing that real‑world success depends on team execution, communication with non‑technical stakeholders and designing systems for resilience rather than perfection.
Manderson also addressed the growing impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the technology profession, noting that while AI can automate many routine development tasks, it elevates the importance of human judgment, critical thinking and accountability. He encouraged students to anticipate edge cases, understand system dependencies and design systems with failure recovery in mind rather than assuming ideal operating conditions.
Mohammad Hoque, a third-year computer science student, said the talk made him realize that being successful in technology means you have to have good communications skills.
“Shawn Manderson's talk helped me understand that to achieve success in technology, it is not just about coding, it is about having the ability to make sound and appropriate decisions by thinking critically and understanding the consequences that technical choices can bring forth,” he said. “So, to make appropriate decisions, we should ask questions and have effective communication because employers reward curiosity and clear communication.”
Reflecting on the significance of the talk, George Eleftherakis, associate professor of computer science at Penn State Brandywine and leader of the Brandywine, Beaver and Hazleton CS-IPAC, highlighted its close alignment with the program’s curriculum and learning objectives.
“This presentation delivered a perspective that is absolutely essential for our computer science and information technology students,” he said. “In courses such as 'CMPSC 461: Programming Language Concepts,' we explicitly teach students to examine the ethical, legal and societal implications of computing decisions. Likewise, our 'CMPSC 483W: Software Design Methods' course is intentionally structured to emphasize professional skill development — critical thinking, accountability, communication and decision-making under uncertainty — rather than focusing solely on technical implementation.”
Eleftherakis added that Manderson’s industry experience reinforced why these curricular elements are central to modern computing education.
“What makes this talk especially important is that it validates the way we design our curriculum,” he said. “Our students see that long-term success in computing depends not only on technical proficiency but on understanding risk, resilience and consequences in complex, real-world systems. Hearing this message from a senior industry leader and Penn State alumnus makes it both credible and impactful.”