Data Analytics Summit Connects the Classroom to the Field
Data analytics majors explore the intersection of ethics and practice at Harrisburg University's annual gathering
by Tony Moore
Data analytics is something most students encounter in problem sets and coding assignments. For eight Dickinson students this March, though, it happened in conversation with practitioners and state agencies—at Harrisburg University's Data Analytics Summit XII, where the theme was Ethics & Data.
Thanks to Dickinson's Career Development Fund, the students traveled with Professor of Mathematics Dick Forrester to the daylong event, which brought together professionals from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to explore how organizations generate value from data while maintaining trust, transparency and accountability.
Beyond Theory, Into Practice
According to Forrester, the event offered students something the classroom can't replicate on its own: a direct line to the tensions and questions shaping the field in real time.
"The Data Analytics Summit gave our students a front-row seat to the conversations shaping the field right now," he says. "Hearing practitioners from organizations such as Deloitte and AWS, alongside leaders from state agencies, discuss AI governance and the ethical use of data helped students see how these issues are playing out in the real world."
For Claire Sprague '28 (data analytics), that real-world dimension was precisely what drew her to the event—and what made it valuable.
"The main thing that made me want to attend this event was a desire to see the talks that were being given and hopefully learn a thing or two about data analytics or data analytics careers," she says. "I was also excited for a chance to connect with both fellow students in my major and professionals in the field who could give me insight into what data analytics jobs might look like in this current moment."
A Thread That Runs Through the Experience
Luke Duceman, career pathways advisor for data, tech & engineering and nonprofit, education & social impact in the Center for Career Development, sees events like the summit as a critical bridge between liberal-arts learning and professional application.
"Opportunities like this are an integral component to student professional development and career exploration as they explore and pursue their career paths," he says. "The liberal-arts education is invaluable, and we know that implementing and applying that knowledge in professional settings is leading Dickinsonians to future successes in their postgraduate outcomes."
Sprague says the experience clarified not just what data analytics looks like beyond the classroom but also what she wants it to look like for her—and how the work she's doing now connects to the work she hopes to do next.
"An event like this gives you experience with the topics you're learning and lets you connect with people who are actively involved in the careers and fields you're interested in," she says. "You can learn a lot in class, especially on the more technical and theoretical side, but there are always going to be things that you can't understand without talking to, and hearing from, people who are out there in the world actively applying the things you're learning in their day-to-day work or research.”
Students interested in attending professional development events can apply for funding through the Center for Career Development.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published April 28, 2026