2014 Graduate Programs Commencement

Neil W. Horstman—the first salaried president of the White House Historical Association—will be the keynote speaker at Goucher’s graduate programs Commencement held on Sunday, August 3, at 3 p.m. in Kraushaar Auditorium. The ceremony will honor the achievements of the graduates enrolled in programs through the Robert S. Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies at Goucher College.

Horstman has focused his career on helping communities and historic places achieve their preservation goals. Before entering the field of historic preservation in 1976, he held several positions in city and regional planning. As a preservationist, Horstman has directed private organizations in Louisville, Kentucky; Kansas City, Missouri; and Savannah, Georgia. From 1987 to 1994, he was director of Historic Mount Vernon, home of George Washington.

From 1994 until 2000, Horstman served as executive vice president of the White House Historical Association and was appointed its first salaried president in 2001.The association, founded by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, publishes educational materials on White House history, supports ongoing scholarship, sponsors national education programs, and financially supports the conservation of the public rooms of the White House and its incomparable collection of fine and decorative arts.

In his nearly 20 years with the White House Historical Association and as administrator of the White House Endowment Fund, Horstman enhanced the understanding and appreciation of the White House, its public rooms, and collections. He also grew the organization itself, increasing the endowment from $14 million to $105 million and expanding the staff from five people to 35. Horstman announced his retirement from the association in 2013.

He received his bachelor’s degree in community planning from University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in public and environmental affairs from Indiana University.

The Robert S. Welch Center for Graduate and Professional Studies at Goucher College offers 10 master’s degree programs, including five programs offered in low-residency, distance learning formats. The limited-residency programs are a Master of Arts in Arts Administration, Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability, Master of Arts in Digital Arts, Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts, Master of Arts in Environmental Studies, Master of Arts in Historic Preservation, Master of Arts in Management, and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction. Many of these programs are also offered as part of dual-degree programs, in which students may earn two master’s degrees at once.

Additionally, the Welch Center offers a Master of Education program that allows students to specialize in athletic programs and leadership, education for at-risk students, middle school education, reading instruction, school mediation, school improvement leadership, and urban and diverse learners. The center’s Master of Arts in Teaching is a certification program designed to prepare graduates with no teaching background for careers in elementary, middle, or special education.

 

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