Did You Ever Look Back and Ask, How Did I Get Here?

This article is a part of the series, "Where are they now?" This article showcases a unique Spin In® experience of how dedication and passion brings everything full circle. 

Ryan Rodalunas will be the first to share that he never expected to retrace his own steps through Alfred Lerner College Business and Economics. Returning after receiving a bachelor's degree in management information systems (MIS) and a master's degree in information systems and technology management, both from the University of Delaware, and completing a doctorate degree in business administration in information systems from Creighton University. Rodalunas now serves as the Faculty Director of Technology Projects at Lerner College. 

His story began long before he was a student at UD or participated in the Office of Economic Innovation & Partnerships’ Spin In® program (OEIP) where early-startup entrepreneurs are paired with students who self-assemble into a product development team. 

As a very young student, Rodalunas admits to having a whiteboard at home and was always ready to find a mathematical or chemical solution. Entrepreneurs bring to Spin In a real-world problem and mentor students to explore real-world solution(s). Just like his whiteboard and Spin In experience, he now guides students with problems that take multiple considerations toward a solution in Lerner’s capstone course for MIS majors and minors. He also assists a unit of OEIP, the Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) program StUDent Link, connecting small businesses with technology projects with senior students completing a capstone.

The Spin In experience

In reflection, Rodalunas sought out opportunities that would challenge him, first in accounting and later in information technology. Late in his junior year, he became aware of Spin In, which matched students with entrepreneurial innovators based on their educational background. The project he was selected for had a rather complex company issue for a newly acquired medical billing business for emergency room physicians, Kirk and Associates.

Rodalunas joined Reetaja Majumdar in a two-student Spin In Product Development Team. Three months later, Majumdar left for another opportunity, leaving Rodalunas to assume the role of project manager. In 2015, Kirk and Associates had a long history that depended on one staff member with an intimate knowledge of financial and productivity reporting in medical billing. On average, it would take 80 hours to create a monthly report.  It was no longer scalable. The documentation had to be written and organized, an immense task before a process could be automated. The Spin In project came to a close as the documentation stage was completed. To continue the project, Kirk and Associates hired Rodalunas as an IT Department Manager for ten months as he built procedures and billing solutions they still use today.  

Rodalunas is appreciative of the opportunity to move the productivity of the company forward. In return, his student experience included not only coding and management opportunities but also board meetings with head doctors from many large hospitals in the tri-state area. A rare experience for a student that not only built his confidence but also positioned him to influence the company's positive reputation. 

In the fall of 2016, Rodalunas was now a graduate student, and OEIP’s Small Business Development Center unit recruited him for a full-time technology business advisor position. Part of this role included management of an ongoing program, Digital Compass, a service still offered by SBDC matching critical business needs with appropriate data-driven IT/web solutions. After earning a master's degree in 2017, Rodalunas continued with Digital Compass, leading to participation in technology[2]  transfer and IP discussions with clients and additional UD administration. Rodalunas was ultimately offered a teaching position at Lerner College. He said of the position, “I’m very fortunate to be back at UD working with MIS students, and I still engage with many entrepreneurs and nonprofits in the Delaware area. I am back here again, amazingly where I started, but yes, it's been a great run, and Spin In made it all possible.” 

Rodalunas concluded, “Spin In is a great program and right for students who are problem solvers with an entrepreneurial mindset. The payback students receive is priceless, and you can learn many valuable skills from local entrepreneurs.”

Spin In is a unique UD offering funded by NSF EPSCoR and the U.S. Economic Development Administration to advance workforce development in the state and region.

Office of Economic Innovation & Partnerships (OEIP)  

Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP) is an economic development portal that connects outside entities to university knowledge-based assets to stimulate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among UD students, faculty, and partners to contribute to the state and region’s social and economic development. OEIP acts as a focal point for resources and advisory services to support the cultivation of early-stage companies and industry partnerships. With a focus on discovery, OEIP assists in the development and commercialization of intellectual property assets into marketable opportunities and/or new businesses. OEIP offers the Spin In® program that stimulates innovation and entrepreneurship and provides workforce development opportunities for qualified students. OEIP’s units include the University’s Technology Transfer Office (TTO), Delaware Small Business Development Center (DSBDC), and APEX Accelerator Delaware (formally PTAC). These units perform as an integrated ecosystem to meet the technology and business needs of the University, the state, and the region.