As Harrisburg University continues to grow, so does the number of expert educators the University recruits to deliver an incomparable STEM education that includes hands-on experience, research, and personal attention that gives our graduates the edge needed to succeed.
It’s no coincidence Harrisburg University was named the #1 STEM University in the U.S. by Corporate LiveWire for two consecutive years. And there’s a reason 94 percent of HU students land family-sustaining jobs in their fields or are accepted to graduate school within six months of graduation – our professors.
Harrisburg University’s faculty has grown from a handful of professors to nearly 200 full-time faculty members. HU professors are the brightest in their fields. They boast impressive research portfolios and bring real-world experience from the field that prepares students for their biggest homework assignment yet: The workforce.
Since arriving to HU during the summer of 2018, Dr. Terrill Frantz has led the University into the exciting world of Quantum Computing.
Under Frantz’s direction, HU is blazing a trail in the quantum computing world, and it has broadened its reach to introduce a younger generation to what is widely considered the future of computational science.
The University launched its Quantum Computing Academy (QCA) in June to teach students how to program a quantum computer, but more importantly and more broadly, so students learn how to problem solve in a very different way.
The Academy, headed by Frantz, who teaches eBusiness, Cybersecurity, and Quantum Computing offered 100 hours of quantum computing classes during the summer. A new set of sessions will begin in October. The sessions will be held twice weekly during the afternoon.
Last spring, HU introduced three, 3-credit graduate-level quantum information science courses. And this fall, the University began offering a Quantum Information Science concentration within its Next Generation Technologies Master’s Degree program.
Frantz, who boasts an impressive educational background and has lived and taught around the world, loves teaching at HU because of its innovative nature that allows it to experiment and respond to industry needs.
He recently took some time to share more information about himself and the path that led him to HU.
Meet Dr. Terrill Frantz:
Q: Tell us about your educational background. Where did you earn your undergraduate degree and any other education and what did you major in?
A: I am still self-educating every day, but formal education includes:
- Ph.D. Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
- Ed.D. Organizational Change, Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif.
- M.S. Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
- MBA—General Management, New York University, New York
- BS in Business Administration–Computer Systems Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia
- AS in Business Technology, Delaware Technical and Community College, Wilmington, Del.
Q: What courses do you teach at HU? Where did you teach/work before arriving to HU? When did you arrive to HU?
A: Quantum Information Science (QISC), ISEM, CISC, ANLY, MEBA, CYOM
I previously taught at Peking University, China; Aarhus University, Denmark; Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, DPRK; Trident University, USA; etc… And arrived at HU during the Summer of 2018.
Q: What do you enjoy the most about teaching at HU?
A: The professional freedom to explore and develop innovative ways to improve the teaching experience and resulting outcomes for students.
Q: What are your main areas of interest for conducting research?
A: Quantum Computing Workforce Development, Quantum Simulation, and Organizational Post-merger Integration.
Q: Any special awards or certifications we should know about?
A: I was selected as “Dad of the Year” 1998 to 2018
Q: What do you think makes HU stand out as a University for our students and our faculty?
A: The nimbleness of the organization to try to meaningfully respond to educational and industrial market conditions.
Q: Where are you from originally? Where do you live now?
A: As a youngster, I was born in Seattle and lived in New Orleans. I mostly grew up in Delaware County, Pa. As an adult, I lived in Pittsburgh, New York City, London, Hong Kong, Shenzhen (China), and presently have homes in Harrisburg city and Kuching, Malaysia.
Q: Any hobbies or activities you can share? Any other life details you would like to share?
A: I passionately miss playing ice hockey (I was a goaltender). And I have a life-long passion for the Business of Music, primarily live concerts. Life-things to share: I’m just getting’ old!
Q: What are your thoughts on having to switch to an online model this fall in light of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of delivering the same quality education to our students?
A: Switch-over is a non-event if you regularly maintain a nimbleness stature, always. As a social scientist, it is fascinating to hear the negative aspects of online relative to in-person being pointed to – views that are based on an image of what in-person is idealized to be, rather than what really happens in-person…makes for interesting window into folks’ psychological ways of thinking.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: Thought for the day: “How can good intentions and bad ideas set-up a generation for failure?”
Terrill Frantz
Professor Terrill Frantz is pictured, age 22, as part of the stage crew at the Foreigner, Kinks, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Loverboy, and Huey Lewis and the News show at the now-defunct JFK Stadium in Philadelphia on June 19, 1982.
“I was stage crew for that show (and many others in Philadelphia area, including the Harrisburg Forum and Hershey Park Stadium) …. and my additional side role on that show-day —for my 15 seconds of rock-n-roll fame–was to escort Joan Jett between her dressing trailer, to and from the stage. A big deal-ish for a 22-year-old.”
About Harrisburg University
Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private non-profit university offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields to a diverse student body. For more information on the University’s affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717.901.5146 or email, Connect@HarrisburgU.edu
