Sen. Rob Teplitz to deliver Central Penn College 2014 commencement address

SUMMERDALE, Pa. - April 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Sen. Rob Teplitz will deliver the May 2 commencement address at Central Penn College’s 132^nd commencement ceremony, and New York City firefighter Lt. Manuel DelValle Jr., will receive a posthumous honorary doctorate degree from the college. More than 430 bachelor’s and associate degree students from Central Penn’s Summerdale, Lancaster and Lehigh Valley locations—as well as its bachelor’s degree completion programs with the McCann School of Business & Technology campuses—are eligible to participate in the 2014 commencement.

Sen. Teplitz represents the 15^th district, which currently consists of portions of Dauphin and York counties. He has focused his public service career on protecting Pennsylvanians’ hard-earned tax dollars, making government programs work better, and bringing transparency, accountability and reform to all levels of government. A member of the Education, Finance, Public Health & Welfare, Intergovernmental Operations, Policy and Capitol Preservation committees, Sen. Teplitz is also a part-time faculty member at Central Penn.

Sen. Teplitz’s message to the class of 2014 will focus on the importance of Central Penn's role in educating our future workforce and the importance of a strong economy with skilled employees in central Pa. According to Central Penn’s most recent One-Year Graduate Survey, 87.8 percent of the college’s graduates were employed in their chosen field or continuing their education within one year of graduation.

"Workforce development is crucial to ensuring that central Pennsylvania and the entire state thrive,” says Sen. Teplitz. “Central Penn prepares students of all backgrounds, whether they are recent high school graduates or adults looking to enhance or change their career choices, to enter or re-enter the workforce with the professional skills they need to succeed. My wife Randi and I are proud to be part of the faculty at Central Penn and I am looking forward to sharing this exciting milestone with the graduates."

The recipient of the honorary doctorate degree, Lt. Manuel DelValle Jr., served his community as a New York City firefighter from 2003 until his heroic death at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Described as handsome, humorous, gentle, dedicated, adventurous, intelligent and a story-teller, he made a positive impact on many.

The honorary doctorate being awarded to DelValle is conferred upon individuals whose intellectual, spiritual and cultural values have contributed significantly to society and the community at large. Specifically, the honoree exemplifies charitable/civic service, a commitment to the betterment of humanity, contributions that reflect the mission of the college, unselfish leadership, personal contributions to civic, cultural or community causes, and who serves as an exemplary role model for graduates of Central Penn College.

“Manny would have been very proud to receive an honorary doctorate from Central Penn,” says stepfather Peter Moyer, who will be accepting the award along with DelValle’s mother, Gricel. “He would have been proud of the college's mission and especially proud of his cousin, Luis Rosa, who is a part-time professor of criminal justice at Central Penn.”

Rosa was one of five faculty members nominated for the Todd A. Milano Faculty Excellence award during last year’s commencement ceremony.

The Central Penn College commencement ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday,May 2 at the Forum, located at 5th and Walnut Streets, Harrisburg, PA. Tickets are required for admission. The ceremony will be streamed live online through Central Penn Presents at www.centralpenn.edu/presents. The live stream gives family, friends and community members who cannot attend an option to watch commencement from their computers, smartphones or tablets.