The Tower Spring 2021 - 3

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Dear Thaddeus Stevens
College of Technology
Alumni and Friends

J

ust over one year ago, on Mach 13, 2020, the faculty and staff of Thaddeus
Stevens College gathered in the Mellor Auditorium. Classes were cancelled for
students. Coronavirus, that mysterious new virulent illness that left tourists stranded
on cruise ships and shut down cities around the world, was about to hit home.
COVID19 was declared a national emergency on that day, the same day the College
made the decision that in just three days, for the first time in its 116-year history,
no labs or shops would be open for instruction. No general education classrooms
would hold English or Math classes. The campus facilities would be shut down. The
College had only 72 hours to prepare. Laptops, hotspots, Zoom, Teams, learning
management systems were the buzz words. Faculty and staff shared ideas, and
experiences.
On March 13, 2020, I was leading the COVID response in schools across the
Commonwealth in my role with the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Our
work ran parallel to the discovery taking place at Thaddeus Stevens College. Our
focus was on ensuring continuity of instruction in a remote environment. In reality,
the challenge was much broader. Food security, housing security, mitigation of the
virus at home for vulnerable populations, access to quality healthcare, technology
challenges, interventions and support for students who had never experienced
remote learning - under COVID19, all preparation for every foreseeable condition
was challenged. But the College's unwavering focus and commitment to providing
a holistic education guided its response to meet these basic needs for our students,
while continuing to deliver on its commitment to educating our students to earn a
degree that would provide a sustaining wage and a path to a secure future.
When I joined Thaddeus Stevens College six months ago, the College was operating
in a complex and, and by all accounts, successful hybrid academic model. This
approach has proven to provide a balance of hands-on education and training in
our shops and labs, with remote learning to maximize health and safety during the
pandemic. Our students, faculty and staff have been superheroes in taking personal
responsibility for mitigating the spread of the COVID virus on our campus. Our Health
Center has been a trusted resource to our students and their families during the
pandemic. Our custodial staff has worked behind the scenes, wiping down surfaces
and disinfecting our environment according to stringent COVID19 guidelines set by
the CDC.
Faculty went above and beyond in identifying and implementing creative solutions in
learning modalities, from online platforms, to paper packets, videos, at-home learning
kits - whatever it took under the circumstances. Retention teams, counselors, athletic
coaches, and every member of the Thaddeus Stevens College community came
together to ensure each individual student had the support needed to succeed.

Pedro Rivera
President

We are grateful to our alumni and foundation friends for their support of our COVID
response. The Foundation provided funding for additional laptops and Wi-Fi
hotspots for our students in need. Special funds were available to help students
experiencing extenuating circumstances, such as unexpected travel home, or
assistance with access to food or temporary housing. Grant funding was used to
support students who may have lost jobs during the economic shutdown, and to
provide other learning aids to our faculty and students.
I look back over my six months with the College in amazement at all we have
accomplished together. It's been a time like no other. Yet we will be graduating nearly
450 students in the class of 2021 this May along with our class of 2020 who are
invited back to join our 2021 Commencement ceremony. Employers are eager to hire
our graduates. Faculty are looking forward to integrating successes from this past
year into their curriculum and teaching approaches going forward.
Throughout the challenges of this past year, we held strong to our commitment to
Thaddeus Stevens' belief that education is a pathway to a prosperous future. I look
forward to engaging with our Alumni, Foundation, and friends of Thaddeus Stevens
College as we continue to seek new and innovative ways to provide opportunities for
the future.
Spring 2021  3
The Tower Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Tower Spring 2021
