Goucher College

"Goucher" redirects here. For other uses, see Goucher (disambiguation).

Goucher College
Motto	Gratia et Veritas
Established	1885
Type	Private
Endowment	U.S. $149.4 million
President	Sanford J. Ungar
Academic staff	146
Undergraduates	1,475
Postgraduates	900
Location	Towson, Maryland, USA
Campus	Suburban 287 acre (1.2 km²)
Athletics	17 varsity teams
Colors	Blue and Gold
Mascot	Gopher
Website	www.goucher.edu

Goucher College
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Haebler Memorial Chapel, a non-denominational chapel in the heart of Goucher College
Location:	1021 Dulaney Valley Rd., Towson, Maryland
Area:	287 acres (116 ha)
Built:	1921
Architect:	Moore & Hutchins; Sasaki, Hideo, et al.
Architectural style:	Modern Movement
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	07000885
Added to NRHP:	August 28, 2007

Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre (1.2 km²) campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary programs and about 900 students studying in graduate subjects. It was one of the first colleges to embrace internships and allow its students to take a more individualized approach. In 2004, Newsweek called Goucher the college with the happiest students.

Recently, Goucher College has instituted a study-abroad requirement—each undergraduate must complete at least one study-abroad experience. To help students fulfill this requirement, the college offers a wide range of three-week "intensive courses abroad," as well as semester and year-long programs, in concert with vouchers of $1,200 to subsidize the costs.

History

In 1881, the Baltimore Conference of Methodist Episcopal Church passed a resolution to found a conference Seminary. This momentum went largely unquestioned with the first recorded objection being in 1884, when Bishop Andrews stated, "I would not give a fig for a weakling little thing of a seminary. We want such a school, so ample in its provisions, of such dignity in its buildings, so fully provided with the best apparatus, that it shall draw to itself the eyes of the community and that young people shall feel it an honor to be enrolled among its students." Methodist ministers Dr. John Goucher and John B. Van Meter fought hard in favor of founding a college rather than a seminary, eventually winning unanimous agreement at a later conference. The school was founded as "Women's College of Baltimore City" on January 26, 1885. Though students of all religious backgrounds were accepted, but as the founders, the Methodist Episcopal Church had a large impact on the campus.

The school was renamed in 1910 to Goucher College in honor of its founding members and benefactors.

The original campus was in the southern part of what is now the Charles Village neighborhood in Baltimore City. Goucher moved to its present suburban location in 1953. The college has been co-educational since 1986. Its former home, known as the Old Goucher College Historic District, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Campus demographics

Goucher has the 15th highest percentage of Jewish students in the country with 30% identifying as Jewish. Female students predominate on the undergraduate level at 65%. This number is higher at the graduate level, where almost 81% of the students are female. About 11.5% of the undergraduate population are either African-American, Asian, Hispanic or Native-American. At the graduate level, the number is about 8.5%. Two of the most popular majors are psychology and communications.

Campus

The Goucher College campus is proximate to downtown Towson, though the 287-acre (1.16 km²) campus is separated from it by surrounding woods owned by the school. The academic buildings appear generally at the north side of campus, and the residential buildings are located to the south. Most buildings are clad in tan-colored stone called Butler Stone. As a part of a recent expansion plan, a new residence hall, Welsh (a.k.a The "T"), was built in 2005. The Athenaeum, a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m²) multipurpose facility featuring an expansive modern library that was constructed in 2009. The grounds are slightly hilly and include hiking and riding trails in the woods. Newsweek magazine described the campus as "unusually bucolic".

In a marked shift away from traditional collegiate layout characterized by symmetry and quadrangles, the designing architectural firm Moore and Hutchins elected to group buildings together into informal zones based on function and took a departure from the Romanesque design of the previous campus. The notion that the design of individual buildings was less important than their interrelationships was progressive at the time. Consequently, over the years, the architecture and development of the campus has won many awards, and in 2007 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Deer population

In a fenced area with no natural predators, 200 deer roamed the wooded campus. In 2007, a biologist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources estimated the 287-acre (1.16 km²) woods as only being able to support 40 deer. Goucher's response that winter was to hire bowmen to thin the population by about 50 deer, and success of this approach has resulted in a yearly culling of the population since then. Reasons cited are to maintain the health of the remaining deer and other animals, reduce the risk of car crashes, protect landscaping and prevent the spread of Lyme disease, and the meat of the deer has been donated to local homeless shelters. Some students and community members, however, have objections to the population reduction.

Academics

Rankings and notable faculty

In 2009, U.S. News and World Report ranked Goucher college #105 in its annual rankings of national liberal arts colleges. The college's ranking has fluctuated from #93 to #111 in recent years. Its most well-known faculty members include Jean H. Baker and Julie Roy Jeffrey of the History Department; President Sanford J. Ungar; and authors Madison Smartt Bell and Elizabeth Spires, who oversee the college's Kratz Center for Creative Writing. Goucher is one of 40 schools profiled in the book Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope. In 2009, Goucher College suspended visiting French Professor Leopold Munyakazi for his alleged involvement in the 1994 genocide perpetrated in his home country of Rwanda. Even after his suspension, Munyakazi and his family were allowed to remain in official Goucher housing for the remainder of the Spring Semester. According to INTERPOL, Munyakazi is still at large and wanted for charges of genocide. An international warrant for his arrest has been issued by KAGALI/Rwanda.

Undergraduate level

In fall 2006, the college launched an education curriculum that outlines requirements that reflect the core values that underpin a liberal-arts education. These include: an international experience; proficiency in English composition and in a foreign language; and solid foundations in history, abstract reasoning, scientific discovery and experimentation, problem-solving, social structures, and environmental sustainability. There are special introductory courses for freshmen to orient them to the campus, as well as college life at Goucher. Undergraduate students are expected to fulfill an off-campus learning requirement either through an internship or a study-abroad experience. A popular choice among many Goucher students is to participate in a "three-week intensive" course abroad made up of an on-campus classroom component followed by three weeks abroad during the winter or spring. Goucher also allows students to participate in semester and yearlong study-abroad programs offered by other schools. Goucher recently announced that starting with the class of 2010 all students will be required to have at least one study-abroad experience to graduate, thus making it the first college to require such an experience of its students. Goucher is also well-known for its creative writing, dance, and pre-med departments.

Graduate level

Goucher has a small but vibrant graduate program, which is run by the Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies. The following graduate programs are offered at the college:

• Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability
• Master of Arts in Digital Arts
• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction
• Master of Arts in Historic Preservation
• Master of Arts in Arts Administration
• Master of Arts in Teaching
• Master of Education

Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability

Goucher's new Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability program brings together tools from anthropology, history, communications, business and management, linguistics, and activism to teach students how to identify, protect, and enhance important cultural traditions.

The coursework is conducted as a limited-residency distance-learning program, meaning classes are primarily held online and are complemented with two one-week residencies on the college's suburban Baltimore campus.

Master of Arts in Digital Arts (MADArts)

The college’s new Master of Arts in Digital Arts (MADArts) is a limited-residency online degree for students who are interested in music, digital culture, and media. The curriculum focuses on giving students real-world experiences and teaching them about the business of digital art so they can learn how to finance, advertise, and manage their careers.

The limited-residency MADArts program gives students opportunities to travel with faculty and peers to events in the music, multimedia, and digital-arts world to meet with people who can help them advance creatively and professionally.

Master of Arts in Historic Preservation (MAHP)

Begun in 1995, the Master of Arts in Historic Preservation (MAHP) was Goucher’s first distance-learning program, as well as the first limited-residency preservation program in the country.

The MAHP program has attracted many experienced preservation practitioners and educators in the country as faculty, including a former senior research fellow with the American Planning Association, the former chief preservation architect for the National Park Service, and a regional director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

MAHP graduates are employed as preservation officials in local, state, and federal government agencies; as practicing architects, planners, preservation contractors, and preservation consultants; and as directors of preservation, historic, and community organizations.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction

Faculty of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction program, which began in 1997, include a winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, a former executive editor of Atlantic Monthly, and a former 20-year staff writer for the New Yorker. Other faculty distinctions include a Whiting Award, a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts fellowships for creative nonfiction, and an Academy Award nomination in the documentary division.

The limited-residency program’s students and alumnae/i have published about 30 books since the program began, with several more under contract. These books have won such honors as the 2003 Southern Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction, the 2008 New York Book Festival Award for best historical memoir, USA Book News’ Best Book Award of 2007 in world history, and the Atlantic Book Awards’ 2003 Dartmouth Nonfiction Award.

Master of Arts in Arts Administration (MAAA)

The limited-residency Master of Arts in Arts Administration (MAAA) Program emphasizes the role of the arts in the community and the contribution the arts make to society. The core curriculum covers all key fields of arts administration, including strategic planning, marketing, development, financial management, and law and the arts. The Goucher faculty are leaders in the field of arts administration from all over the country.

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) Program is a joint program of Goucher College and mental health experts from the Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Health Systems. The M.Ed. Program is divided into the following areas of specialization:

• Athletic Program Leadership and Administration
• Education of At-Risk Students
• Education of Urban and Diverse Learners
• Middle School Education
• Reading Instruction
• School Improvement Leadership
• School Mediation (inactive)
• Teacher as Leader in Technology

Each of the specializations addresses how societal forces affect student development and success and examines social and ethical issues, curricular and management strategies, and relevant research. Wherever possible, a clinical perspective is offered through workshops, direct observation, and field and practical experience.

Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Program is designed to prepare college graduates who wish to earn state certification, but who have not had the requisite undergraduate preparation for teaching. Participants can acquire the knowledge and skills needed for teaching general and/or special education in the elementary, middle, and high schools. A yearlong internship or supervised conditional year is included in the program for students in both regular and special education and those who have not yet met certification requirements.

Certificate and continuing education programs

• Post-Baccalaureate Premed Program (having a 96% acceptance rate to medical school over its entire history)
• Teacher's Institute
• Educational Technology Certificate

Extracurricular activities

Goucher offers many student-run clubs in different areas such as the Chem Club (the oldest continuously-operating club on campus), Hillel activities, and a student-labor action committee. It has a bi-weekly school newspaper called The Quindecim, and a literary arts journal called Preface. Also notable is Goucher Student Radio, which contains a host of student, staff, and faculty programming and expands each year. It is accessible through Goucher's website as streaming media. Students from the college are also credited with founding Humans vs. Zombies, a game similar to tag that is played generally on college campuses.

Athletics

Goucher competes in NCAA Division III, fielding men's and women's teams in lacrosse, soccer, basketball, track and field, cross country, swimming, and tennis, as well as women's teams in field hockey, volleyball, and coed equestrian sports(Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Zone IV Region I/American National Riding Commission). In 2007 the college joined the Landmark Conference after competing as a member of the Capital Athletic Conference from 1991 to 2007.

Other programs on campus

Goucher has served as a campus for the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth summer program for gifted students.

Notable alumni

• Hattie Alexander (class of 1923), pediatrician and microbiologist
• Ellen Bass, (class of 1968), poet
• Clara Beranger, (class of 1907), screenwriter and wife of William C. DeMille
• Emily Newell Blair, was an American writer, suffragist, national Democratic Party political leader, a founder of the League of Women Voters and feminist.
• Sally Brice-O'Hara, Class of 1974, Rear Admiral and vice commandant, United States Coast Guard
• Joan Claybrook, (class of 1959), president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader.
• Teresa Cohen, (class of 1912), mathematician
• Sherry Cooper, (class of 1972), economist
• Olive Dennis, (class of 1908), railroad engineer
• Judy Devlin Hashman, (class of 1958), 10-time All-England badminton singles champion.
• Susan Devlin, (class of 1953), American-Irish badminton champion
• Mildred Dunnock, (class of 1922), Oscar-nominated film and stage actress
• Alison Fanelli, (class of 2001), actress famous for starring as Ellen on The Adventures of Pete & Pete
• Margaret Fishback, (class of 1921), author and poet
• Jonah Goldberg, (class of 1991), journalist and conservative commentator
• Karen S. Haynes, (class of 1968), President, California State University, San Marcos
• Ellen Lipton Hollander, (class of 1971), Judge of the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, nominee to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland
• Sarah T. Hughes, (class of 1917), federal judge
• Georgeanna Seegar Jones, (class of 1932), reproductive endocrinologist
• Alice Kessler-Harris, historian and professor
• Margaret G. Kibben, Rear Admiral, U S Navy, Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps
• Hon. Phyllis A. Kravitch, (class of 1941), Senior Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
• Florence Marie Mears, (class of 1917), mathematician
• Sara Haardt Mencken, (class of 1920), wife of H.L. Mencken
• Shirley Montag Almon, (class of 1956), economist
• Bessie Moses, (class of 1915), contraception activist
• Mary Vivian Pearce, (class of 1994), actress famous for working with John Waters
• Margot Perot, then Margot Birmingham, (class of 1955) wife of Ross Perot
• Hortense Powdermaker, (class of 1919), anthropologist
• Laura Amy Schlitz (class of 1977), author and Newbery Medal winner
• Florence B. Seibert, (class of 1918) American biochemist
• Rosalind Solomon, (class of 1951), artist and photographer
• Darcey Steinke, (class of 1985), writer
• Paula Stern, (class of 1967), former chairwoman of the United States International Trade Commission
• Paul Tanner, Researcher, Social Critic, and Educator
• Lucé Vela, First Lady of Puerto Rico
• Eleanor Wilner, (class of 1959), poet, 1991 recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellows Program

External links

• Official website