Goucher College is delighted to announce that Judy C. Lewent ‘70, retired executive vice president and chief financial officer from Merck & Co., and her husband, Mark Shapiro, have pledged a $10 million lead gift to support the construction of Goucher’s Science Innovation Center, designed to meet the demands of science today, and, into the future. The donation is the largest single gift ever made by a living alumna to Goucher College. The donors have also established a challenge to inspire others to support the project.

Eleven new faculty members have joined the Goucher community for the fall semester. In addition, one faculty member started last January, and one has taken on a new role. These faculty teach in a variety of fields, including communication and media studies, chemistry, data science, environmental studies, and Judaic studies.

As a leader in global education, Goucher is proud to be working with the Davis United World College Scholars Program, which is the world’s largest, privately funded, international scholarship program—supporting more than 3,800 undergraduates from 165 nations. The program’s strategic objective is to advance international understanding through education.

Goucher College is proud to announce the appointment of four new members to the Goucher College Board of Trustees. As leaders in diverse industries—spanning local governance and business, global sustainability, the news sector, fundraising, among many other passions—the dedicated expertise of these new appointees will help drive momentum in accomplishing the institution’s goals. Learn more about trustees Elizabeth Bobo ’23, Marc Cousins ’95, M.Ed. ’07, Dr. Michael Okoroafor, and Kimberlee Van Newkirk Shaffir ’83, P’ 15.

The Goucher College equestrian team finished in eighth-place at the 2023 Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Championship Horse Show. Goucher’s top-10 finish is its seventh in eight all-time trips to IHSA nationals. Goucher captured the 2023 IHSA Zone IV Championship earlier in the season. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Goucher College Equestrian Program.

Using inspiration from around the globe, 14 Goucher students will visit sites throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States for writing projects related to travel or research for a creative writing project or a writing-related internship this summer. Through the Kratz Center for Creative Writing at Goucher College’s summer writing fellowship, highlights of the student projects include visiting sites related to the Holocaust in Germany, conducting research in France, and visiting key art and architectural sites in Florence, Italy.

The Hallowed Ground Project, is our multi-year initiative founded and launched five years ago to better understand the legacies of slavery, colonialism, and racial injustices on the land that Goucher currently occupies. This ongoing, interdisciplinary project seeks to place the narratives of those who were previously excluded from the historical record to the forefront: indigenous peoples, enslaved and free African Americans, and other marginalized communities. Last month, Goucher established a land acknowledgment statement that was composed in dialogue with and in response to the words and perspectives of Indigenous peoples.

Goucher College is proud to announce four Goucher professors have received tenure. Working in data science, neuroscience, and writing, faculty members Thomas Narock, Gillian Starkey, Bill U’Ren, and Charlee Sterling represent the college’s strategic investment in exceptional and student-centered faculty.

Inside Higher Ed’s piece “Program Innovation: Micro-Internships Offer Career Experiences, Alumni Connections” was featured in the Student Success section and outlines Goucher’s micro-internship program elements, as well as the college’s Internship Accelerator.

Playwright, actor, and educator Anna Deavere Smith will deliver the keynote address at Goucher College’s 2023 Commencement ceremony. In addition, Adrienne Arsht, business leader and philanthropist, will receive an honorary degree. The Arsht Presidential Diplomats, a distinguished group of student leaders, are supported by the Roxana Cannon Arsht ’35 Center for Ethics and Leadership at Goucher College, which is funded by a $2 million gift from Adrienne Arsht in honor of her mother.