President Devereaux highlights important updates and future initiatives
Dear Goucher Community,
As we embark on a new academic year, I am delighted to share some great news with you all regarding our recent successes and a few exciting initiatives planned for this year.
Thank you to our community for remaining [UNDAUNTED] and Goucher Proud.
To start, I am overjoyed to announce that this will be the final year of the [UNDAUNTED] campaign. Your contributions have propelled us forward to meet and exceed our original, ambitious $100 million goal and have helped empower our students, enhance our facilities, and enrich our academic programs.
Through the unwavering support and generosity of dedicated alumnae/i like you, we are now focused on securing the remaining funds we need to start construction on the Judy C. Lewent Science Innovation Center next spring. This new center will elevate science education at Goucher to the next level, attracting both students and faculty engaged in research opportunities and exploration in the worlds of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience, and more. It will also dramatically enhance the teaching facilities available to the students enrolled in our top-ranked Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program.
Together, we have demonstrated the incredible impact of collective determination and shared vision.
Another highlight from this past year has been the forging of our partnership with Edenwald Senior Living. This innovative collaboration will be the first university retirement community in Maryland to combine lifelong learning and programming from a college with the attractive residences, services, and amenities of a life plan community. These enriching opportunities will create intergenerational learning and mutual respect. We are building a vibrant community that values diversity, wisdom, and inclusivity. We’ll have more news to share about this exciting partnership in the next few months.
I’m also excited about plans for the Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP) under Ann Duncan, Ph.D., our new executive director. Ann has served as a Goucher faculty member for 15 years, most recently as the Susan D. Morgan Professor of American Studies and Religion. For more than a decade, GPEP has been a national leader in providing an excellent in-person education to incarcerated students. Rooted in Goucher College’s mission of access, equity, and social justice in higher education, GPEP enrolls approximately 130 students each year in two Maryland prisons. Ann will oversee the implementation of GPEP’s expansive five-year plan, focused on increasing student academic opportunities, decreasing the average time to degree completion, and building a more robust support system for GPEP alumnae/i.
Goucher is expanding its global reach and attracting new community members.
This year, we attracted the most applicants to the college ever! What’s more, our incoming class this fall includes an even greater number of international students coming from over 30 different countries, or as I like to say, students literally from A to Z: Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Over the past few months, I’ve also welcomed three new enthusiastic and expert senior leaders to my cabinet, including our new associate vice president for human resources, Grace Lowry, vice president for enrollment and student success, Michael Marshall, Ed.D., and CFO and senior vice president for finance and administration, Brian Hutzley.
We are educating for the future, working diligently to make experiences accessible to all.
The landscape of higher education today looks very different than it did 50 years ago. We continue to introduce new majors and new programs that today’s students are looking for. This past year we introduced new majors and new partnerships in neuroscience and public health that build upon our strengths in the biological sciences and psychology. Our new partnership in public health with the Johns Hopkins University’s top-ranked Bloomberg School of Public Health allows our students to transition seamlessly between our two institutions and pursue meaningful and lucrative careers in these fields. We have also introduced a three-year accelerated degree program, where students can complete their bachelor’s degree in five high-demand majors: business management, computer science, data science, economics, and psychology.
In addition, we continue to add new pathways with top-tier institutions that offer our students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and specialized master’s degrees in only five years. Today, that includes 16 different opportunities with schools such as Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Loyola University of Maryland, Middlebury College, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
New challenges mean new creative solutions, and you can play a part.
All these elements are only possible due to the generous support of alums like you. Together, I ask you to join me in reaffirming your commitment to Goucher’s mission of academic excellence, social responsibility, and global citizenship. With your ongoing support, we will continue to inspire a new generation of global changemakers. Goucher grads foster positive change and bold ideas, whether in the world of business, science, government, or the arts.
Our annual fund, the Greater Goucher Fund (GGF), plays a crucial role in sustaining the vitality and excellence of the Goucher experience. By supporting the GGF, you provide essential resources that directly benefit our students and our future.
I invite you to join us in continuing this remarkable journey of transformation and excellence.
Your support is invaluable in helping us shape the future of Goucher College and empowering our community to reach new heights. There are so many ways to give to your alma mater, whether that be gifts of stock, IRA distributions, donor-advised funds, or charitable annuities. For more information about any of these, just visit our website or contact our Advancement Office directly at 410-337-6083.
Even simpler, please consider making a one-time or recurring gift today by visiting our giving page.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication to Goucher College. Together, we are truly undaunted.
Warm regards,
Kent Devereaux
President, Goucher College