Matthew McGouldrick of Quakertown, PA Named Salutatorian of Widener University's Class of 2014

2014 May 20

Chester, Pa. - Matthew McGouldrick of Quakertown, PA has been chosen as the salutatorian of Widener University's Class of 2014. McGouldrick graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and physics.

A math tutor, McGouldrick was named to the Dean's List every semester at Widener and multiple times to the President's List, which recognizes students who have earned a 4.0 grade point average in two consecutive semesters of fulltime coursework.

Outside of the classroom, McGouldrick was active in both areas of study. He served as treasurer of Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honors Society, and was a member of the Widener student chapter of Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers. He was also involved with Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honors society and Kappa Theta Epsilon, the honors co-op society.

For his senior project McGouldrick was on the team that developed a cardiac synchronized compression pump under the guidance of Dr. Xiaomu Song, assistant professor of electrical engineering. The first year project was awarded the Dean's Award on April 25.

McGouldrick is not taking a break between his studies and career. He starts as an associate engineer in distribution capacity planning at PECO, an Exelon Company on Monday. In his new role, McGouldrick will be responsible for making sure that new housing developments and businesses' energy loads can be added to circuits without causing overloads on the distribution system. "It's the exact job I wanted," he said.

McGouldrick had the opportunity to serve both his co-ops through PECO; his first during his sophomore year for five months in the distribution and equipment department and then again as a junior in the reliability department for eight months. He found out he had secured a job in January, before the start of his last semester at Widener. After accepting the position, he began working as a part-time intern in the capacity planning area where he will transition into full-time.

"I chose Widener for the four-year co-op program," McGouldrick said. "It allowed me to graduate in four years and get a year's worth of experience, which greatly outweighs the opportunity cost of having to go five years with the same amount of experience. I owe it to this co-op program that I have a job now."

In his spare time, McGouldrick enjoys fixing and restoring muscle cars, weightlifting, and camping. He is the son of Michael and Diana McGouldrick.

Widener University is a private, metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, leadership development, and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience. A comprehensive doctorate-granting university, Widener is comprised of eight schools and colleges that offer liberal arts and sciences and professional and pre-professional curricula leading to associate's, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university's campuses in Chester, Exton, and Harrisburg, PA, and Wilmington, DE, serve approximately 6,300 students. Widener is proud to be a tobacco-free university. Visit the university's website, www.widener.edu, for more information.