The Tower Fall 2020 - 3

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Welcome

President Pedro Rivera

Dear Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology Alumni and Friends,
As I greet you for the first time as President of Thaddeus Stevens
College of Technology, I am profoundly honored and humbled by
the opportunity to carry forward the legacy of this great institution
as an instrument of change in the lives of our students, graduates,
our communities, and business and industry, throughout the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
My entire career in education has been dedicated to serving
underrepresented communities. To serve as the President of Thaddeus
Stevens College is the opportunity of a lifetime. I look forward to
engaging with faculty, staff, students and our alumni and friends
around our common commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in
a College that is recognized nationally for its commitment to equity in
higher education.
Much of educational inequality can be attributed to economic
disparities that often fall along racial and ethnic lines. Our College,
by its very mission, has served to address the economic barriers
to accessing a college degree, and commits to breaking down the
barriers of residential location, language, and other socioeconomic
factors that perpetuate educational inequity.
The COVID-19 pandemic, and the pandemic of discrimination and
injustice in our country, have changed our world. To address the
health and safety of our students during the pandemic, our College
developed a hybrid model wherein much of our curriculum is
delivered remotely, while at the same time maximizing time in the
shops and labs. Equitable learning within this model remains at the
forefront.
In the midst of this pandemic, a national spotlight shone on the
systemic racial inequities in our culture that go against everything that
is the legacy of our benefactor, Thaddeus Stevens. I am committed to
continuing my focus as a leader in education to advancing diversity,
equity, and inclusion, among our students, and our faculty and staff.
Your support and engagement with our students and faculty are
foundational to the success of our mission. Your participation on
our advisory councils, mentoring our current students, and staying
involved in the success of future generations of our students, can be
your legacy as Thaddeus Stevens College alumni.
I am proud of being the first college graduate in my family. I am even
more proud to say that I was not the last. Thaddeus Stevens College
demonstrates every day, with every graduating class, that college is
within reach. I look forward to engaging with our alumni, friends and
family to further our mission and bring this opportunity to many more
families in the future. 

Pedro Rivera

Pedro Rivera
President

Education:

Bachelor of Science -

Pennsylvania State University

Masters in Education

Administration - Cheyney
University.

Home:

 Lancaster, PA
Experience:

 Pennsylvania Secretary of the

Department of Education appointed by Governor Tom
Wolf, confirmed unanimously by
the State Senate -2015

Superintendent of the School
District of Lancaster

Classroom teacher, assistant

principal, principal, and executive
director for the School District of
Philadelphia

Staff member with the

Philadelphia Federation of
Teachers

Fall 2020  3
The Tower Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Tower Fall 2020
