Goodwin College of Professional Studies - History

History

Established shortly after the founding of Drexel as the Department of Lectures and Evening Classes, the College of Professional Studies has been a part of the school since 1892 under nine different names. In 1896, the Department of Lectures and Evening Classes was renamed as the Department of Evening Courses. In 1918, during Hollis Godfrey's internal reorganization, it was renamed the Evening School. When degrees were offered through the school in 1924, it was renamed once again to the Evening Diploma School, from then it became known as the Evening College and Diploma School (1950–1965), and the Evening College (1965–1987). In 1987, it was renamed University College and remained that until it was merged with the Drexel University College of Arts and Sciences in 1993. In 1997, the college was brought back as the College of Evening and Professional Studies and underwent its last name change to the Goodwin College of Professional Studies in 2001 in honor of alumnus Richard C. Goodwin.

Goodwin’s 21st century mission is to provide specific career-oriented programs and services to part-time adult undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning individual and corporate consumers as well as traditional full-time undergraduates including: credit and non-credit courses & programs and academically related services for the Philadelphia region, Northern California, and strategic Global locations. Goodwin’s academic focus is in specific fields of practice in education, technology, industry, and multi-disciplinary studies.

In Fall 2008, Goodwin College merged with Drexel’s School of Education. In conjunction with this merge, a new school was formed within Goodwin called the School of Technology & Professional Studies, which includes the academic programs previously housed within Goodwin College prior the merge.

Included in this merge was The Math Forum, a web-based center for mathematics and mathematics education, which moved to Drexel in 2002 under the leadership of former university president Constantine Papadakis (1946–2009). The Math Forum’s mission is to provide resources, materials, activities, person-to-person interactions, and educational products and services that enrich and support teaching and learning in an increasingly technological world. It is composed of teachers, mathematicians, researchers, students, and parents using the power of the web to learn math and improve math education. It is a place where educators share ideas and acquire new skills. They offer problems and puzzles; online mentoring; research; team problem-solving; collaborations; and professional development.

Shortly thereafter, the Center for the Prevention of School-Aged Violence and Drexel-Torrance Center for Creativity also became part of Goodwin.