WCU Magazine Summer 2025

Alight drizzle fell quietly over the hills of Dr. Marc Duey’s farm on a recent gray afternoon in Chester Springs. His boots squelched softly on the wet grass as he walked to a tall stone sculpture at the corner of Conestoga Road and Dewees Lane. It was a tall Inuksuk, a Northern Canadian sculpture, crafted by hand with his brothers a year after their mother, Paulette, passed away.

“She instilled in me the idea of working hard and pushing yourself,” Duey said. “Every day I drive past this work of art and inspiration, and think of her.”

The Inuksuk stands as a symbol of endurance and human guidance, a fitting tribute to a woman who taught her son the grit and work ethic that would come to define him. That spirit fuels everything Duey does, especially at West Chester University, where he serves as entrepreneur-in-residence at the Cottrell Entrepreneurship Center.

Duey, a biotech entrepreneur and investor with more than two dozen startups under his belt, isn’t interested in status or accolades. What drives him is pushing people, especially students, to realize their own potential.

“We all underestimate ourselves,” he said, stepping toward the family farm’s sprawling obstacle course, built with team building and personal transformation in mind. “You only grow by being uncomfortable.”

He would know. Duey struggled at times in school, but his mother’s belief in persistence gave him the confidence to keep going. Today, he guides five companies in his portfolio, teaches four courses at WCU, and mentors students across disciplines like biomedical engineering and marketing. The obstacle course, featuring 110 challenges, is his personal philosophy in action: Real growth happens when you stretch further than you thought possible.

In 2024, as entrepreneur-in-residence, Duey launched an experiential life science innovation course where students work with real biotech patents, build commercialization strategies, and pitch to industry leaders. The class blended marketing, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical development, and challenged students to collaborate and think like real-world entrepreneurs.

The results? Outstanding. In one week, WCU students swept two innovation competitions. Two student teams won top honors at the Wistar Institute’s Life Science Innovation Shark Tank. The BioXvessel team proposed a new treatment for Gaucher’s disease using genetically modified protozoa. A second team won the coveted People’s Choice Award, securing the highest percentage of more than 700 votes for their Syntria concept, an innovative treatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Duey’s mentorship with students goes beyond the classroom. He brings students to the farm, invites them to events, and answers their calls long after they graduate.

“I’m always available to the highly motivated student,” he said. “If a student is serious, I’ll meet them wherever they are — even at 2 a.m. on Zoom.”

Jake Henry ’23, founder of Lectra Tech, still speaks with Duey multiple times a week. Henry started his company, now valued in the seven figures, during college, working on a wearable device to help manage his mother’s chronic pain. Duey helped shape the early business plan while Henry was a student at WCU, walked him through intellectual property issues, and coached him to victory in the WCU Business Idea Competition in 2021. Henry then used what he learned from Duey’s teachings to go on and secure funding from competitions across the country. During the same week that Duey’s Life Science Innovation teams were securing awards, Henry won the $35,000 prize at Salisbury University’s competition.

“Marc was there when no one else believed in it,” Henry said. “He’s successful and he creates success for others. He creates a relentless type of methodology where you’re consistently learning. You either win or you learn, so you’re consistently improving. You never take a loss as a loss, you take it as a lesson.”

Pattie Diggin M’96, director of the Cottrell Center, has worked alongside Duey for years and said she finds his approach incredible.

“Marc shows up. He gives his time, his contacts, his energy. He’s helped prepare students to pitch nationally, raise money, and launch products while they’re still in school.”

We all underestimate ourselves.

 

She said that Duey’s extended term as entrepreneur-in-residence (twice as long as most) reflects his commitment and the center’s trust in him.

“He’s made a lasting impact,” Diggin explained. “He’s still helping recent graduates grow their ventures.”

His belief in student potential is why Duey gives so much attention to WCU. He’s donated generously to experiential learning programs; is the benefactor behind the Duey Immersive Learning Center and the Duey Biomedical Engineering Center; developed hands-on classes; and even hosts a student-led Kentucky Derby party on his farm to raise funds for student causes.

“Students need opportunities to learn in a holistic way,” he said. “They should start businesses now. Students need to pitch, to fail, and to try again.”

Now nearing the end of his term as entrepreneur-in-residence, Duey isn’t slowing down. He plans to keep teaching, mentoring, and hosting student groups at his farm. Duey is also co-authoring a textbook with Dr. Paul Christ, retired chair of WCU’s MBA program, on entrepreneurial marketing that will be ready for fall classes.

“I want students to come to the farm and try obstacles physical and mental, they’ve never done before,” he said. “I want them to have a positive experience and then feel encouraged to go seek more and challenge themselves.”

According to Duey, pursuing adversity is a starting point for personal and business growth, and this is the main theme in his soon-to-be published self-help book, Obstacle Quest.