July 6, 2023

Goucher extends President Kent Devereaux’s contract through 2027

  • President Kent Devereaux

Goucher College has announced current President Kent Devereaux’s contract has been extended through June 2027. The Goucher College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve Devereaux’s new contract.  

Devereaux joined Goucher in July 2019. During the first four years of his tenure, Devereaux has simultaneously focused on strengthening and stewarding the college into the future while navigating the institution through the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Kent has led with strength and compassion during unprecedented times, and the board has full confidence in his ability to continue to help Goucher grow, adapt, and innovate as it has for the past 138 years,” said Lisa Stromberg, Goucher College Board of Trustees chair. “Kent is intently focused on the future success of our highly regarded and beloved institution. His enthusiasm for expanding access to the rigorous liberal arts education for which Goucher has always been known is palpable.”  

Building on Goucher’s legacy, Devereaux was instrumental in developing Goucher’s new strategic plan, “Cultivating Global Changemakers,” which articulates a clear vision for the college and the institution’s programs, people, and resources. Key elements of the plan include enhancing student success, expanding global education, emphasizing inclusivity, and ensuring a solid financial future through continued diversification. 

Devereaux also oversaw the development of a new Campus Master Plan, a first for the college in nearly 30 years. The Campus Master Plan lays out a vision for development on Goucher’s 287-acre campus over the next 15 years oriented around a more student-centered, accessible, and sustainable future.  

One of the Campus Master Plan’s cornerstone projects is the new Science Innovation Center. This new facility will offer state-of-the-art labs, interdisciplinary learning environments, and enhanced research opportunities for students and faculty, and it is the last capital project included in the college’s $100 million [UNDAUNTED] comprehensive campaign.  

Devereaux’s work leading the institution has also focused on a renewed commitment to global education and diversity. Goucher continues to be a national leader in global education, study abroad, and social mobility. Under Devereaux’s leadership, the college became a founding member of the Liberal Arts College Racial Equity Leadership Alliance. He also launched the Hallowed Ground Project, a multifaceted research, education, and memorialization project that seeks to understand the history and legacy of the land the college now occupies.  

“These past four years as Goucher College president have been some of the most rewarding and challenging. I am honored to continue to serve this institution and the larger Baltimore community,” said Devereaux. “I am proud to say that during my tenure, the college has been recognized nationally for the strength of our programs and the tremendous value they provide both for our community and our graduates. I look forward to building on that momentum over the next four years with many innovative new initiatives.” 

Educated as a composer and visual artist whose own work creating immersive experiences often blurs the boundaries between art and technology, Devereaux came to Goucher College with more than 30 years of hands-on experience in higher education management and online technologies. He has served in senior leadership positions and as a faculty member at four previous higher education institutions, as senior vice president and dean of curriculum at Kaplan University, and as senior vice president for editorial and product development at Encyclopedia Britannica, where he was responsible for the transformation of the venerable print publisher to an online business in the late 1990s. He was also a Fulbright fellow in Indonesia.