Goucher College and Edenwald Senior Living announce plans for the first university retirement community in Maryland

 

Goucher College and Edenwald Senior Living have announced plans for the first university retirement community (URC) in Maryland, combining lifelong learning and programming from a college with the attractive residences, services, and amenities of a Life Plan Community. Goucher and Edenwald will expand their decades-long relationship to offer robust integrated URC programming on a shared campus.

Goucher will offer unique educational and cultural activities for all current and new Edenwald residents, including the ability to participate in international study abroad programs, audit Goucher College classes, and collaborate in a cooperative community garden. Edenwald residents will also have access to other amenities on the Goucher College campus, including use of the library and attending performing arts events.

Edenwald will add 127 new apartments, common spaces, indoor parking, and other amenities in three new 8- to 10-story towers comprising over 284,000 square feet of new construction on three acres of land leased from Goucher College. Programming will be piloted with current Edenwald residents in the 2024-2025 academic year with plans to expand a host of new services over the next few years in time for the new URC facility’s debut.

Edenwald, founded originally in 1881 as the German Aged People’s Home of Baltimore, relocated to Towson in1985 on land acquired from Goucher College.

“This partnership builds on a 140-year legacy of educational innovation at Goucher College,” says Goucher College President Kent Devereaux. “Founded as a leader in higher education for women, today Goucher remains one of only two colleges in America to require 100% of its students to study abroad as part of its commitment to global education. Now, Goucher will be the first in Maryland to bring that same innovation and commitment to academic excellence to a life plan community by creating the first university retirement community in Maryland with Edenwald, our long-time neighbor.”

“The beauty of this collaboration with Goucher is that it builds on Edenwald’s 143-year-old history and mission to inspire people to continue to live lives of significance. This is accomplished through opportunities for continued growth and lifelong learning. The synergies can’t be denied,” says Mark Beggs, President and CEO of Edenwald.

Goucher will leverage its expertise in global education to offer intensive courses abroad for Edenwald residents and undergraduate students. These co-generational study-abroad experiences will kick off with an arts and culture experience to Scotland in the summer of 2025. These signature programs will expand to other countries in subsequent years.

Recognized as a national leader in undergraduate teaching, Goucher faculty will develop new co-generational classes that will be integrated into the undergraduate curriculum. These courses will span a range of topics and disciplines, with the first piloted in the Spring 2025 semester. Students will take these courses for academic credit, while Edenwald residents will audit them.

Additionally, co-generational engagement will extend to co-curricular and community engagement. Goucher and Edenwald will develop a cooperative community garden on Goucher’s campus that will offer Edenwald residents the opportunity to tend the garden with Goucher students. Edenwald URC residents will also have access to live performing arts, lectures, and other cultural events on campus for free, as well as access to the college library.

The new Edenwald senior living development will feature three towers including a total of 127 one- and two-bedroom apartments with open-concept floor plans ranging from 1,300 to 1,800 square feet and an under-building parking deck. The luxury apartments will include oversized windows, full gourmet kitchens, stainless steel appliances, balconies and more, while the overall development will include rooftop decks, beautifully landscaped commons, and a café. Residents will also have access to multiple classrooms and lecture spaces included in the property, as well as full access to Edenwald’s pool and fitness center, and other amenities. The new buildings will be directly connected to Edenwald’s campus via an enclosed walkway.

“Our Edenwald community members are excited about this collaboration. We have so many residents who are Goucher alumni or retired faculty that it creates a sense of shared community and ownership already. The opportunity for our residents and Goucher faculty working together to build these programmatic elements is just amazing,” says Beggs.

“Edenwald has been a tremendous neighbor over the past 40 years and many in our Goucher community have chosen to retire there,” says Devereaux. “Both our organizations emphasize the value of lifelong learning, and this URC will be an extension of those core values.”