Goucher College
Encyclopedia
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.
, by Methodist ministers Dr. John Goucher and John B. Van Meter, with the assistance of Goucher's wife Mary Cecilia Fisher Goucher. Originally called The Woman's College of Baltimore, the school was renamed in 1910 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.
, Hispanic
or Native-American
. At the graduate level, the number is about 8.5%. Goucher has the 15th highest percentage of Jewish students in the country with 30% identifying as Jewish.
Two of the most popular majors are communications
and psychology
.
, though the 287 acres (1.2 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 100000 square feet (9,290.3 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
.
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.
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.
, dance
, and pre-med departments.
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:
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.
club, the theater club the philosophy
club, Prism: The Queer
Student Union, 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.
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.
Center for Talented Youth
summer program for gifted students.
Liberal arts colleges in the United States
Liberal arts colleges in the United States are certain undergraduate institutions of higher education in the United States. The Encyclopædia Britannica Concise offers a definition of the liberal arts as a "college or university curriculum aimed at imparting general knowledge and developing general...
located in the northern Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
suburb of Towson
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County, Maryland
Baltimore County is a county located in the northern part of the US state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 805,029. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Towson. The name of the county was derived from the barony of the Proprietor of the 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
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
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
The school was founded in 1885 as a women's collegeWomen's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
, by Methodist ministers Dr. John Goucher and John B. Van Meter, with the assistance of Goucher's wife Mary Cecilia Fisher Goucher. Originally called The Woman's College of Baltimore, the school was renamed in 1910 in honor of its founding members and benefactors.
The original campus was in the southern part of what is now the Charles Village
Charles Village, Baltimore
Charles Village is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It is a middle-class area with many single-family homes that is in proximity to many of Baltimore's urban amenities. The neighborhood began in 1869 when of land were purchased for development...
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
Old Goucher College Buildings
Old Goucher College Buildings is a national historic district in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is an approximate 18-block area in the middle of Baltimore which developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries...
, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
Campus demographics
Female students still predominate on the undergraduate level at about 70%. 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, AsianAsian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Native-American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. At the graduate level, the number is about 8.5%. Goucher has the 15th highest percentage of Jewish students in the country with 30% identifying as Jewish.
Two of the most popular majors are communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
.
Campus
The Goucher College campus is proximate to downtown TowsonTowson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
, though the 287 acres (1.2 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 100000 square feet (9,290.3 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
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
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
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
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
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
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 acres (1.2 km²) woods as only being able to support 40 deer. Goucher's response that winter was to hire bowmenArchery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
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.
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 JeffreyJulie Roy Jeffrey
Julie Roy Jeffrey is Professor of History at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. Jeffrey joined the Goucher faculty in 1972. Her scholarly interests are broad, and have focussed on the areas of gender history -- she is considered a pioneer of the history of women in the western United States...
of the History Department; President Sanford J. Ungar
Sanford J. Ungar
Sanford J. "Sandy" Ungar is an American journalist, author, and current president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.Sanford J. Ungar became the tenth President of Goucher College on July 1, 2001...
; and authors Madison Smartt Bell
Madison Smartt Bell
Madison Smartt Bell is an American novelist. He was raised Nashville, and lived in New York, and London before settling in Baltimore, Maryland....
and Elizabeth Spires
Elizabeth Spires
-Life:She was raised in Circleville. She graduated from Vassar College and Johns Hopkins University.Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, American Poetry Review, The New Criterion, The Paris Review, and in many other literary magazines and anthologies, She lives in Baltimore with her...
, who oversee the college's Kratz Center for Creative Writing. Goucher is one of 40 schools profiled in the book Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives
Colleges That Change Lives is a college educational guide by Loren Pope. It was originally published in 1996, with a second edition in 2000, and a third edition in 2006...
by Loren Pope
Loren Pope
Loren Brooks Pope was an American writer and independent college placement counselor.In 1965, Pope, a former newspaperman and education editor of The New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counseling services in the United States...
. 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 writingCreative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
, dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, 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) the FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
club, the theater club the philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
club, Prism: The Queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
Student Union, and a student-labor action committee. It has a bi-weekly school newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
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
Humans vs. Zombies
Humans vs. Zombies is a live-action game predominately played at college campuses where players begin as Humans and try to survive in a story where Zombies have begun to rise from the dead. The ultimate goal of the game is for either all Humans to be turned into Zombies, or for the humans to...
, a game similar to tag
Tag (game)
Tag is a playground game played worldwide that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to tag or touch them, usually with their fingers. There are many variations...
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 AssociationIntercollegiate Horse Show Association
-Overview:The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association or IHSA is an equestrian organization established in 1967 by Bob Cacchione when he was a sophomore at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey...
Zone IV Region I/American National Riding Commission). In 2007 the college joined the Landmark Conference
Landmark Conference
The Landmark Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C....
after competing as a member of the Capital Athletic Conference
Capital Athletic Conference
The Capital Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Delaware....
from 1991 to 2007.
Other programs on campus
Goucher has served as a campus for the Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
Center for Talented Youth
Center for Talented Youth
The Center for Talented Youth is a gifted education program for school-age children, founded in 1979 by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University. It was initially a research study of the rate at which gifted children can learn new material and became the first program of its kind to identify...
summer program for gifted students.
Notable alumnae/i
- Nan AgleNan AgleNan Hayden Agle was an American author of children's books. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Charles Swett Hayden and Emily Spencer Hayden. She was a granddaughter of the chief editorial writer for the Baltimore Sun Edward Spencer. She married Harold H. Cecil in 1925 and married John...
, author of children's books - Hattie AlexanderHattie AlexanderHattie Elizabeth Alexander was an American pediatrician and microbiologist...
(class of 1923), pediatrician and microbiologist - Jean H. Baker, historian and professor
- Ellen BassEllen BassEllen Bass is an American poet-Life:She attended Goucher College, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1968 with her bachelor’s degree. She pursued a master’s degree at Boston University and graduated in 1970. From 1970–1974, Bass worked as an administrator at Project Place, a social service...
, (class of 1968), poet - Clara BerangerClara BerangerClara Berenger was an American screenwriter of the silent film era and a member of the original faculty of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.-Biography:...
, (class of 1907), screenwriter and wife of William C. DeMilleWilliam C. DeMilleWillam C. deMille was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent movie era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into film. Once he was established in film he specialized in adapting Broadway plays into silent films... - Emily Newell BlairEmily Newell BlairEmily Newell Blair was an American writer, suffragist, feminist, national Democratic Party political leader, and a founder of the League of Women Voters.-Early life and ancestors:...
, was an American writer, suffragist, national Democratic Party political leader, a founder of the League of Women Voters and feminist. - Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O'HaraSally Brice-O'HaraVice Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara is the 27th and current Vice-Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.-Background and education:Brice-O'Hara graduated from Goucher College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1974. She received her Coast Guard commission from Officer Candidate...
United States Coast Guard (class of 1974) - Joan ClaybrookJoan ClaybrookJoan Claybrook is an American lawyer who served as President of Public Citizen from 1982 until she announced her resignation on December 9, 2008. Previously, she was head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Carter administration from 1977 to 1981.Claybrook grew up in the...
, (class of 1959), president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader. - Teresa CohenTeresa CohenTeresa Cohen was an American mathematician. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She attended the Friends School in Baltimore whose teachers she credited with her interest in mathematics and teaching. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and physics at Goucher College in 1912...
, (class of 1912), mathematician - Sherry CooperSherry CooperSherry S. Cooper is a Canadian-American economist. She is currently Chief Economist of BMO Capital Markets, with responsibilities for economic forecasting and risk assessment. She comments regularly in the press on financial issues.- Education and career :...
, (class of 1972), economist - Olive DennisOlive DennisOlive Dennis was an engineer whose design innovations changed the nature of railway travel. Born in Thurlow, Pennsylvania, on November 20, 1885, she grew up in Baltimore.-Career:...
, (class of 1908), railroad engineer - Judy Devlin Hashman, (class of 1958), 10-time All-EnglandAll England Open Badminton ChampionshipsThe All England Open Badminton Championships, or simply All England, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious badminton tournaments. Played annually, it developed after the success of world's first badminton tournament held in Guildford in 1898...
badminton singles champion. - Susan DevlinSusan DevlinSusan Devlin Peard is a former badminton player who represented both the USA and Ireland in international competition. She is the daughter of the late J. Frank Devlin, an Irish badminton great, who moved his family to the United States in the late 1930s...
, (class of 1953), American-Irish badminton champion - Mildred DunnockMildred DunnockMildred Dunnock was an American theater, film and television actress.- Early life :Born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Western Senior High School, Dunnock was a school teacher who did not start acting until she was in her early thirties...
, (class of 1922), Oscar-nominated film and stage actress - Alison FanelliAlison FanelliAlison Fanelli is an American former actress who is best known for the role of Ellen Josephine Hickle on the television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete.Fanelli was born in Northport, New York...
, (class of 2001), actress famous for starring as Ellen on The Adventures of Pete & PeteThe Adventures of Pete & PeteThe Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various... - Margaret FishbackMargaret FishbackThis article does not concern Margaret Fishback Powers, an author associated with the prose poem Footprints.Margaret Fishback, later Margaret Fishback Antolini , was a relatively well-published American poet and prose author from the late 1920s until the 1960s...
, (class of 1921), author and poet - Jonah GoldbergJonah GoldbergJonah Jacob Goldberg is an American conservative syndicated columnist and author. Goldberg is known for his contributions on politics and culture to , of which he is editor-at-large...
, (class of 1991), journalist and conservative commentator - Karen S. Haynes, (class of 1968), President, California State University, San MarcosCalifornia State University, San MarcosCalifornia State University San Marcos is a public, coeducational university and one of the 23 general campuses of the California State University system. located in San Marcos, California, a suburban town in north San Diego County. It was founded in 1989 as the 20th CSU campus and was the first...
- Ellen Lipton HollanderEllen Lipton HollanderJudge Ellen Lipton Hollander is a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the District of Maryland...
, (class of 1971), Judge of the Maryland Court of Special AppealsMaryland Court of Special AppealsThe Maryland Court of Special Appeals is the intermediate appellate court for the U.S. state of Maryland. The Court of Special Appeals was created in 1966 in response to the rapidly growing caseload in the Maryland Court of Appeals. Like the state's highest court, the tribunal meets in the Robert C...
, nominee to the United States District Court for the District of MarylandUnited States District Court for the District of MarylandThe United States District Court for the District of Maryland is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland.... - Sarah T. HughesSarah T. HughesSarah Tilghman Hughes was an American lawyer and federal judge who swore in Lyndon B. Johnson as President of the United States on Air Force One after the Kennedy assassination. She is the only woman in U.S...
, (class of 1917), federal judge - Georgeanna Seegar JonesGeorgeanna Seegar JonesGeorgeanna Seegar Jones was part of the husband and wife team which pioneered in vitro fertilization in the United States. Her husband was Dr. Howard Jones....
, (class of 1932), reproductive endocrinologist - Alice Kessler-HarrisAlice Kessler-HarrisAlice Kessler-Harris is the R. Gordon Hoxie Professor of American History at Columbia University, in New York City. She specializes in the history of American labor and the comparative and interdisciplinary exploration of women and gender....
, historian and professor - Margaret G. KibbenMargaret G. KibbenChaplain Margaret Grun Kibben, USN, is a Presbyterian minister currently serving as both the 18th Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps and the Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy....
, Rear Admiral, U S Navy, Chaplain of the United States Marine CorpsChaplain of the United States Marine CorpsThe Chaplain of the United States Marine Corps is a position always filled by the officer serving as Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy as a "dual hatted" billet since 2000... - Hon. Phyllis A. KravitchPhyllis A. KravitchPhyllis A. Kravitch is a Senior Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. She sits in Atlanta, Georgia....
, (class of 1941), Senior Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit - Judy LewentJudy LewentJudith C. Lewent was, until July 2007, the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.-Early life:...
, (class of 1970), EVPVice presidentA vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
and CFOChief financial officerThe chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
of MerckMerck & Co.Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township... - Sandra MagsamenSandra MagsamenSandra Magsamen is an American author, artist, art therapist, and designer. Her primary product line is called "Messages from the Heart". Magsamen's book Living Artfully was adapted for a national PBS special...
, art therapist - Florence Marie MearsFlorence Marie MearsFlorence Marie Mears was a professor of Mathematics at The George Washington University.-Background and education:...
, (class of 1917), mathematician - Sara Haardt Mencken, (class of 1920), wife of H.L. Mencken
- Shirley Montag AlmonShirley Montag AlmonShirley Montag Almon is an economist noted for the Almon Lag. She was educated at Goucher College Baltimore and then for her PhD at Harvard . A core element of her PhD was published in Econometrica and introduced the now famous technique for estimating distributed lags...
, (class of 1956), economist - Mary Vivian PearceMary Vivian PearceMary Vivian Pearce is an American actress. She has worked primarily in the films of John Waters.Pearce is the childhood best friend of John Waters and has appeared as an actress in all of his films. Because of her work with Waters, she is considered one of the Dreamlanders, Waters' ensemble of...
, (class of 1994), actress famous for working with John WatersJohn Waters (filmmaker)John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films... - Margot Perot, then Margot Birmingham, (class of 1955) wife of Ross PerotRoss PerotHenry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
- Hortense PowdermakerHortense PowdermakerHortense Powdermaker was an anthropologist best known for her ethnographic studies of African Americans in rural America and of Hollywood. Born to a Jewish family, Powdermaker spent her childhood in Reading, Pennsylvania and in Baltimore, Maryland. She studied history and the humanities at...
, (class of 1919), anthropologist - Brad Sappington and Chris Weed, makers of the game Humans vs. ZombiesHumans vs. ZombiesHumans vs. Zombies is a live-action game predominately played at college campuses where players begin as Humans and try to survive in a story where Zombies have begun to rise from the dead. The ultimate goal of the game is for either all Humans to be turned into Zombies, or for the humans to...
- Laura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy SchlitzLaura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at Park School in Baltimore County, Maryland....
(class of 1977), author and Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
winner - Florence B. Seibert, (class of 1918) AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biochemistBiochemistBiochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:... - Rosalind SolomonRosalind SolomonRosalind Solomon is an American artist and photographer, born April 2, 1930 in Highland Park, Illinois. Solomon's work has been shown in various solo and group exhibitions...
, (class of 1951), artist and photographer - Darcey SteinkeDarcey SteinkeDarcey Steinke is an American novelist and journalist. The daughter of a Lutheran minister, she was born on April 25, 1962. She is the author of four novels, Up Through the Water, Suicide Blonde, Jesus Saves, and Milk, and the memoir Easter Everywhere. She also co-edited the collection of essays...
, (class of 1985), writer - Paula Stern, (class of 1967), former chairwoman of the United States International Trade CommissionUnited States International Trade CommissionThe United States International Trade Commission is an independent, bi-partisan, quasi-judicial, federal agency of the United States that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches. Further, the agency determines the impact of imports on U.S...
- Lucé VelaLucé VelaLucé Vela Gutierrez is the wife of Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuño and has been serving as First Lady since her husband was sworn in 2009.-Education:...
, First Lady of Puerto RicoFirst Lady of Puerto RicoFirst Lady of Puerto Rico is the title traditionally given to the spouse of the Governor of Puerto Rico. The current First Lady is Lucé Vela.-Current:... - Eleanor Wilner, (class of 1959), poet, 1991 recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellows ProgramMacArthur Fellows ProgramThe MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
- Jessie Woodrow Wilson SayreJessie Woodrow Wilson SayreJessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre was a daughter of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and a political activist. “She worked vigorously for women's suffrage, social issues, and to promote her father's call for a League of Nations, and emerged as a force in the Massachusetts Democratic...
, (class of 1908), daughter of President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
and political activist - Margaret Woodrow WilsonMargaret Woodrow WilsonMargaret Woodrow Wilson was the daughter of President Woodrow Wilson and Ellen Louise Axson. Wilson had two sisters, Jessie W. Wilson and Eleanor R. Wilson...
, (class of 1907), daughter of President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...