Distinction

Gettysburg College will realize the potential of its distinctive location, history, programs, and ethos in providing an extraordinary and inspiring learning experience for students.

Understanding Gettysburg College’s distinctiveness in American higher education begins with an understanding of our palpable sense of place. Our connection to defining moments in the nation’s past compels us to become involved with important challenge  facing society today. Our Center for Public Service has been called a “national treasure.” Our programs focused on the Civil War era are without parallel. Our students make use of nearby Washington, D.C., as a laboratory for involvement in public affairs. We have a long list of graduates who have achieved distinction in the nonprofit sector and in the public arena.

To build on these strengths, we have launched a strategic affiliation with the Eisenhower Institute, a nationally renowned leadership and public policy center with locations in Washington and, now, on the Gettysburg campus. We will move to tap the full potential of this affiliation, which gives us a firm base in the nation’s capital and creates outstanding opportunities for student and faculty involvement in education, research, scholarship, and outreach linked to public policy concerns. This project has the added advantage of reconnecting us with the legacy of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former trustee and staunch advocate of the College who had a home in Gettysburg.

Another area of distinction and public significance for Gettysburg is the arts, and here again our goal is to make a strong program stronger. We will enhance programs in the visual arts, maximize the potential of the Majestic Theater as a center for the performing arts, advance innovation in K–12 art education through our Bernstein Center for Artful Learning, and continue efforts t  establish the Sunderman Conservatory of Music as one of the nation’s leading programs linking music excellence with excellence in the liberal arts.

All of these efforts will build on Gettysburg’s dedication to excellence in all of its academic, athletic, and co-curricular programs an  our commitment to enhance the quality of the liberal arts experience it offers students.

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