By his own estimate, Adjunct Professor Kevin Pierce has sung the National Anthem more than a thousand times, including at nearly every Wilmington University commencement since 2004.
“I’ve only missed two ceremonies,” says Pierce, who received a master of science degree in the administration of justice from WilmU in 2012.
At every ceremony, he takes note of these words from University President Dr. Jack P. Varsalona: “Wilmington University puts teachers who want to teach in front of students who want to learn.”
“I have found that statement to be so true in both my experience as a WilmU student and as a WilmU instructor,” says Pierce.
The native Philadelphian received a degree in psychology with a concentration in criminal justice from Villanova University in 1983. He then spent 21 years with the Pennsylvania State Police, retiring as a lieutenant in 2006. He brings that experience to WilmU classrooms, where he has been teaching criminal justice courses since 2013.
Pierce performed with the State Police Ceremonial Unit at such functions as gubernatorial inaugurations, presidential campaign rallies, and the National Law Enforcement Memorial Service in Washington, D.C. He also sang the National Anthem at numerous sporting events, including NASCAR races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, and the Little League World Series.
He calls his experience as both a student and instructor at Wilmington University “tremendously positive.”
“As a student, one of the things that impressed me was that all my instructors were experts in the field of criminal justice or criminal law,” he says. “They included a federal judge, an FBI agent, officers from the Pennsylvania and Delaware State Police, a Wilmington City Police officer and a New Jersey prosecutor.”
As an instructor, he says he finds that his students “take their education very seriously and are very eager to learn.”
“Being able to interject my own State Police experiences into my lesson plan, as my own WilmU instructors did, makes the teaching experience much more enjoyable for me and the students.” Wu
—Bob Yearick