Impact and Investment
“I often think of the many thousands of lives that were profoundly changed by a Thaddeus Stevens College education, and how many thousands more are waiting for their chance.”
PEDRO A. RIVERA II, ED.D., PRESIDENT
OUTCOME & IMPACT
Powering Economic Mobility
Through Skilled Careers
Behind every statistic is a person. Nearly half of our students are from households below the poverty line. Two years later, they leave with trade or technical skills, strong job prospects, and a pathway to wages that help families thrive. For 120 years, this institution has been opening doors to skilled careers for motivated students. The question isn’t whether the model works; it’s what happens when an institution like Thaddeus Stevens College is resourced to grow?
>40%
are first-generation college students
$52.5K
median first-year salary for graduates
97%
of graduates employed or pursuing further education
95%
of graduates stay in Pennsylvania, building our workforce
Behind every one of these numbers is a student who arrived carrying uncertainty and left carrying a credential, a plan, and a future. Imagine what becomes possible with the right investment.
FOUNDED ON EQUITY, BUILT TO LAST
A 120-Year Commitment to Opportunity
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology was founded in 1905 through the bequest of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, who believed every person deserved access to quality skills training. His vision was clear: create an institution where motivated students, regardless of background, could train for skilled careers that would sustain their families and strengthen their communities.
Thaddeus Stevens envisioned a school where every student would share the same opportunities, regardless of background or status.
That founding vision isn’t a historical footnote. It is the operating system of the College today. Thaddeus Stevens College has been equity-first since before the term existed, structurally designed to serve students ready to build careers and to open doors to careers that change the trajectory of entire families.
And not only that, the College’s mission is to empower students and graduates to make an impact in their communities, something witnessed every day across Pennsylvania.
Under the leadership of Pedro A. Rivera II, Ed.D., President, an Aspen Presidential Fellow and former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, Thaddeus Stevens College has accelerated that mission: enrollment has grown, the College has been nominated for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, and has been selected for the Aspen Institute’s Unlocking Opportunity network, a national group for a three-year partnership to scale reforms that improve student success.
Pedro A. Rivera II, Ed.D.
President
Aspen Presidential Fellow
Former PA Secretary of Education
A Proven Approach
What Makes the Model Different
We don’t treat workforce education, student support, and employer engagement as separate initiatives, the College integrates them into a single system built around access, completion, employment, and community impact. This opportunity-first structure allows students to move efficiently into skilled careers that are in high demand across the regional and national economy.
Remove Financial Barriers
The Stevens Grant offsets the cost of attendance for 44% of students, covering tuition, housing, meals, books, and tools. Students focus entirely on learning.
Train for Real Jobs, Not Theory Alone
26 high-demand programs shaped by Occupational Advisory Committees of industry professionals. Graduates step into careers, not job searches.
Equity Built Into the Structure
Comprehensive wraparound services: mental health, financial aid, career services, clothing closet, childcare, and accessibility. Equity is the institutional design, not an add-on.
Produce Wealth, Not Just Wages
Graduates earn family-thriving wages from day one, stay rooted in Pennsylvania, and build long-term wealth, not just paychecks.
Create Community Impact Beyond Campus
The Student Home Construction Program builds affordable housing. The Steinman Community Learning Center provides childcare and STEM exploration. Impact radiates outward.
Build What the Economy Needs
Occupational Advisory Committees keep 26 programs aligned with regional workforce demand. Graduates don’t just find jobs, they fill critical gaps.
Founded 1905. Equity-first since day one. Outcomes that have held through recessions and shifting labor markets.
This model has staying power.
Be Part of It
This work isn’t done in a vacuum, without a community of supporters. The demand is there, from students and employers. What’s needed is the investment to scale up, opening pathways for the thousands of students waiting for access.
A gift to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology powers an engine of economic mobility that will impact generations.
Every gift at every level moves this mission forward.
To learn more or explore partnership opportunities, contact:
Jenny Germann
Executive Director, Thaddeus Stevens Foundation
REMOVING THE BARRIERS
The Stevens Grant: A National Model for Access
Nearly half of our students receive the Stevens Grant, a scholarship that offsets tuition, housing, meals, books, and tools for students who qualify for the federal Pell Grant. The result: students focus entirely on learning a trade, and leave with minimal debt, ready for a career.
For many students, the Stevens Grant is the difference between enrolling and not attending college at all.
The Stevens Grant is a “last dollar” grant. After accounting for federal aid, PA State Grants, outside scholarships, applicable VA benefits, and any expected family contribution as determined by the FAFSA, the remaining cost to attend is fully covered.
What the Grant Covers
Tuition & Fees
Last-dollar scholarship that offsets remaining costs
Housing
On-campus residential living for eligible students
Meals
Meal plan included
Books & Materials
Textbooks and course materials
Tools & Equipment
Industry-standard supplies for most programs
Our laser focus on affordability ensures that 64% of graduates leave with no student loan debt. For those who do borrow, the average debt of $12,747 is a fraction of the $37,000 national average. Thaddeus Stevens College graduates enter the workforce earning $52,500 on average, and earn back their investment within months of employment.
Data sources: TSCT Career Services Graduate Surveys, Class of 2024; TSCT institutional data
REAL LIVES, REAL OUTCOMES
Economic Mobility in Action
These are the lives this model changes. Students who arrived carrying the weight of poverty, uncertainty, or a system that had written them off. They left with trade or technical skills, strong job prospects, and a clear path to building wealth for their families.
Hilarie Gbotoe
WATER & ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY · CLASS OF 2024
“With this education, I can go anywhere in the world and be able to help.”
Hilarie immigrated from Liberia at age 8, growing up in Lancaster with a determination to build a career that would let her give back. At Thaddeus Stevens College, she found a program that combined technical rigor with hands-on learning in water and environmental technology. Now she works at the City of Lancaster Bureau of Water, protecting public health and the environment for the community that welcomed her family. Her story is a testament to what happens when access meets ambition.
Hayden Fox
ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE · CLASS OF 2026
“I want a wife and kids someday; I want to be able to have a home. I just needed something that would provide more.”
After a decade of bartending in Lancaster-area restaurants, Hayden visited CareerLink at age 32 looking for stability. The one-year Electrical Construction and Maintenance program at Thaddeus Stevens College gave him a clear, accelerated path to a skilled trade. His willingness to ask for help and show up every day paid off. Hayden is now building toward a career with steady income and a future he can count on.
David Thompson
ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY · CLASS OF 2019
“I jumped at the opportunity to give back to the school that gave me so much.”
A nontraditional student who changed careers, David embraced the campus experience, running cross country, and competing with SkillsUSA. His Amazon internship led to a full-time role. He later returned to the College as an instructor, completing a full circle from student to educator.
By the numbers
Outcomes That Prove the Model Works
These aren’t aspirational benchmarks.
They’re the measurable results of an institution designed from the ground up to produce economic mobility at scale.
97%
Placement rate at graduation
Of graduates employed or pursuing further education
Many
Programs have waitlists
Demand for seats far exceeds current capacity
18
Job opportunities per graduate
Demand far exceeds supply
75%
Retention rate
Students stay because the model works
90%+
Receive financial aid
Access is structural, not incidental
44%
Receive the Stevens Grant
Last dollar scholarship covering full cost
30%
Homeownership within 5 years
Wealth-building, not just wage-earning
$12,747
Median student debt
Only for those who take on debt; 65 percent have zero debt!
Smart Asset
No. 1 Community College in PA (2025)
Opportunity School
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (2025 – 2028)
Aspen Institute
Prize Nominee & Unlocking Opportunity Network (2025)
“Everything I have, I owe to Thaddeus Stevens.”
Thomas Mervine, Class of 1960
Stevens Grant recipient · Printing
The son of a coal miner, Tom Mervine went on to visit 52 countries and build a global career. Today he has given more than $200,000 to endow a scholarship and is leaving a $5 million legacy gift to the College, the largest gift commitment in the school’s history.
CASE STUDY
Student Home Construction Program: Where Learning Builds Community
70+
Years of Building Homes
~150
Students Per Year
9
Trade Programs Involved
How the Program Works
For more than 70 years, Thaddeus Stevens College students have constructed a new house each year as part of their hands-on education. The homes are built by students from multiple trade programs working together under faculty supervision, mirroring the collaboration found on professional construction sites.
In 2024, the College committed to selling these duplexes as affordable housing, a commitment that will continue through 2028. In doing so, the program now serves two purposes: preparing students for skilled careers while helping expand access to housing in Lancaster.
By the time they graduate, Thaddeus Stevens College students have already completed a full-scale construction project. Employers do not have to guess what graduates can do. They can walk through the finished homes and see the results.
It is one reason Thaddeus Stevens College graduates typically have multiple job opportunities waiting when they enter the workforce.
EXPANDING ACCESS
The Workforce & Economic Development Center
The Thaddeus Stevens College model does not stop at the associate degree. Through its Workforce and Economic Development Center, the College offers more than 40 short-term training programs across construction, IT, manufacturing, welding, and business leadership that prepare individuals for in-demand careers in as little as six months. For career changers, individuals new to the region, and workers re-entering the workforce, the Center provides a direct path to in-demand careers in as little as six months. Within six months of completion, 70% of graduates are employed, earning a median wage of $46,510. Several programs are hosted in partnership with Tec Centro and the Spanish American Civic Association at community locations across Lancaster, extending the College’s reach into communities where access to technical training has historically been limited. By creating direct pathways to employment, the Workforce Center reinforces the same opportunity-first principle that defines the degree programs: economic mobility should be accessible to everyone.
40+
Training Programs
70%
Employed Within 6 Months
$46,510
Median Wages
Scaling What Works
Growing to Meet a National Moment
America is facing a generational workforce crisis. Employers across construction, manufacturing, technology, and transportation can’t find enough skilled workers. Thaddeus Stevens College is positioned at the center of this moment, and growing rapidly to meet it.
Two new programs (Civil Engineering Construction Technology and Diesel Technology) have launched in recent years, several existing programs have expanded significantly, and many programs now have waitlists.
“As quickly as we can build and expand our programs, we’re able to fill them.”
– President Pedro A. Rivera II
The demand isn’t slowing. Thaddeus Stevens College has the model and the outcomes to scale, but growth requires philanthropic investment in facilities, faculty, and student support that outpaces what state funding alone can provide. This is where transformational giving changes the trajectory.
With 95% of graduates remaining in Pennsylvania, the impact on the nation’s sixth-largest state economy is significant. And this model is replicable, ready to be translated to other states and communities where the workforce needs it most.
AN INVITATION
Be Part of What Comes Next
This is a 120-year-old institution at an inflection point. The model works. The demand is surging. The outcomes speak for themselves. What’s missing is the transformational investment to scale it, to reach the thousands of students still waiting for their chance.
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology has the leadership, the track record, and the institutional integrity to deploy philanthropic investment where it will have the greatest impact.
A gift to Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology doesn’t just fund a program. It builds an engine of economic mobility
that will outlast all of us.
Campus Expansion & Capital Projects
Help build new facilities, from the Historic Almshouse renovation and Welding Lab expansion to new residence halls, so the College can serve hundreds more students and meet surging workforce demand.
Endow the Stevens Grant
Secure the last-dollar scholarship in perpetuity so future generations of students can attend without financial barriers. It is the single most powerful tool for access.
Support the Home Construction Program
Ensure the 70+ year program continues to build careers and affordable community housing for decades to come, training students while strengthening our community.
Every gift at every level moves this mission forward.
To learn more or explore partnership opportunities, contact:
Jenny Germann
Executive Director, Thaddeus Stevens Foundation