While the Peirce
experience is a shared bond among our 17,000+ alumni and the faculty and staff
who serve them, some pairs of Peirce people feel the connection more deeply
than others. There are many couples who met while going to school
here, persuaded their better half to attend the College as they did, or
otherwise parlayed their Peirce connection into a love match. However, in
observance of this Valentine’s Day, we turn the spotlight on one very special
Peirce couple.
Before he even
enrolled for his first class at the College, David Roberts, a member of the
class of 2012 who is now an IS Manager at Thomas Jefferson University,
understood better than most prospective students about the benefits of a Peirce
education: his wife is Dr. Rita Toliver-Roberts, the College's Vice
President, Academic Advancement. After
working several years in computer technology and securing varied IT
certifications, David decided to come to Peirce to earn his IT degree. As a student, he enjoyed learning from practitioner
faculty who appreciated his work experience, and also established strong
professional relationships with his professors like Dr. Pat Coyle and Bob
Huebner.
Dr. Rita
Toliver-Roberts' true passion for providing educational opportunities to our
learning community has proven not only inspirational to her husband
but also extremely impactful in the lives of the thousands of students
with whom she has interacted during the 18 years she has served at Peirce. Her
own academic credentials are formidable: she has a BA in Psychology
from Rowan University, an MS in Counseling from Rider University, and her Ed.D.
from Rowan University. And the Peirce family connections don't stop
with her husband, since her twin sister Renee Toliver-Bailey also graduated
from the College.
Through their
individual achievements, David and Rita are proud to provide a strong example
of the value of education for their two children, David and Sydney.
Nowhere has this fact been better demonstrated than on a very special night in
June 2012 at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. At that year's
Commencement ceremony, Dr. Rita Toliver-Roberts had the honor of
presenting her husband David with his Peirce diploma.
