Goucher College announces Arsht Presidential Diplomats

Goucher College is proud to announce the Arsht Presidential Diplomats, a distinguished group of student leaders chosen to represent Goucher at various meetings with community, governmental, and business leaders. As part of the Roxana Cannon Arsht ’35 Center for Ethics and Leadership, these 10 undergraduate and graduate student leaders represent the various constituencies within Goucher’s diverse student population. This first cohort of Diplomats was selected this fall and includes a range of students and student athletes studying science, business, education, and political science. The Roxana Cannon Arsht ’35 Center for Ethics and Leadership at Goucher College is funded by a $2 million gift from Adrienne Arsht in honor of her mother.

“The Arsht Presidential Diplomat program would not be possible without the generous support of Adrienne Arsht and the enduring legacy established by her mother Roxana Cannon Arsht,” says Kent Devereaux, Goucher College president. “This program will allow us to expand our commitment to developing the next generation of leaders prepared to engage with their communities and society at large in tackling the most important issues confronting our country and our world today.”

All Arsht Presidential Diplomats will have the opportunity to gain leadership development experience while contributing to the college through their service as Diplomats. Programming includes professional leadership development workshops with non-profit organizations, corporate and governmental leaders, and accompanying the president to meet with local, state, and national government officials and civic leaders.

Adrienne Arsht states, “The Arsht Presidential Diplomats highlight my commitment to supporting young leaders by fostering research and education related to ethics and providing access and opportunities to a broad range of students. It is a perfect way to honor the legacy of my mother, Roxana Cannon Arsht who was a proud Goucher graduate.”

At Goucher, the Roxana Cannon Arsht ’35 Center for Ethics and Leadership explores ethics and leadership across a variety of liberal arts disciplines. The endowed professorship expands on that to support the college’s commitment to train and shape future ethical leaders. The Arsht gift has also brought visiting scholars to campus, including the inaugural Arsht Center Visiting Scholar, Sandra Day O’Connor, former Associate Supreme Court Justice.

“The Roxana Cannon Arsht ’35 Center for Ethics & Leadership works with different stakeholders on providing Goucher students with ethical leadership development opportunities. The center also supports interested faculty in incorporating topics pertaining to leadership and ethics into our liberal arts curriculum,” says Lana Oweidat, assistant professor of contemporary and creative writing and current Arsht professor. “One of the center’s main goals is to open up opportunities for collaboration in leadership training across the college’s divisions, while making more visible our collective efforts throughout our curriculum and co-curriculum.”

Roxana Cannon Arsht, Goucher College Class of 1935, was the fifth female member of the Delaware Bar and the first woman judge in Delaware. Judge Arsht provided leadership to generations of attorneys and had an extensive record of community service.

Selection for the Arsht Presidential Diplomats is based on a nomination, application, and interview process. The Presidential Diplomats must possess strong leadership and communication skills, be actively engaged in their academic communities, and maintain a GPA of 3.00.

For more information on the Roxanna Cannon Arsht '35 Center for Ethics and Leadership and its programming, visit https://www.goucher.edu/arsht.