At the eastern end of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology trains students on technological and technical job skills. The college covers 32.5 acres where as many as 800 co-ed students both live and study in the campus' 18 buildings. Owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the college offers programs in 19 different disciplines at the time of writing, most of which offer two-year certificates. Areas of study include Architecture Technology, Automotive Technology, Business Administration, several building disciplines, as well as electrical, HVAC, plumbing and other technical studies.
The college is named for Thaddeus Stevens, born in 1792. He is remembered as a statesman and a philanthropist, who believed in rewarding merit rather than granting blanket priveleges to someone because of their family name or status. This came from hardships in his own life, such as being born with a clubfoot, living with an alcoholic father until his death in the War of 1812, and then struggling in poverty as his widowed mother worked to keep her family together. He was accepted to Dartmouth, where his hard work led to a degree in law and an eventual move to Gettysburg, where he famously argued and won 9 out of 10 Supreme Court cases in his first year.
His life turned to politics, where he became a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and became known as the 'savior of education' for his work on a bill which created a free public education system in the entire state. Later, he served on the United States House of Representatives, where he helped to pass the 13th, 14th, and 15th, Amendments, forwarding the fight for civil rights. Over his life, he gave nearly $100,000 to others in need, and willed funds for a school to be created for the poor.
