April stories in review

In the Gettysburg College community, Gettysburgians are passionate about not only their own work but also others’ great work in the world. With its network of more than 30,000 alumni at the core, the lifelong connections to this College and to each other live on in the stories we tell and the support we provide to one another in lifting up those stories.

In April, our community took to social media to engage with and reflect on these stories, from exciting announcements to alumni success and more:

Gettysburg College to launch new online master’s program in American history.

In collaboration with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI), Gettysburg College is launching a new online master’s program in American history, with courses beginning in September 2022. The offering is open to all K-12 educators, district supervisors, librarians, museum professionals, and National Park Service employees who are affiliated with the GLI.

Fast facts about the program:

30-credit program, including 10 required three-credit courses.
$750 per three-credit course and $7,500 for the entire program, which is among the lowest of any MA program today.
Course topics include, but aren’t limited to, presidential leadership, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, and more.

We’re excited to partner with @gettysburg on the new Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman MA in American History.

Work with renowned historians & pursue an affordable, online master's degree—on your own time, from anywhere in the world! https://t.co/fiVJ8ErqRV #AmericanHistoryMA pic.twitter.com/BTsoo9fMv6
— The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (@Gilder_Lehrman) April 5, 2022

Across social media, our community shared their excitement for the master’s program:

Mary Folkemer ’68 (Facebook): “Outstanding, Inspiring. Thankful for my alma mater.”
Tammie C. Garner ’92 (LinkedIn): “What a great opportunity to learn from a great institution! I am very excited to see Gettysburg College offer this new program.”
Alexander Lopez-Wilson ’10 (LinkedIn): “This is amazing!”

Gettysburg College to host first-ever film festival celebrating renowned documentarian Ken Burns

On Feb. 10–12, 2023, Gettysburg College will host the first-ever film festival dedicated to the work of award-winning documentarian Ken Burns at the Majestic Theater. Gettysburg students, alongside the general public, will have the opportunity to engage with Burns, his collaborators, and historians in consequential conversations about who we are, a question that Burns has explored in each of his films on American history.

Honored to join my friends at @gettysburg for this film festival. Info below. Hope to see you there next Feb. https://t.co/fOUF9eS12h
— Ken Burns (@KenBurns) April 20, 2022

“Few individuals throughout our nation’s history have had a more profound impact in shaping American discourse than Ken Burns. His timeless works challenge us to see our country from new perspectives and encourage us to engage in the defining issues of our time.”
– President Bob Iuliano

Wei-Xiong — Wei Xiong ’15, inaugural Entrepreneurial Fellowship recipient

Alumni succeed in the fields of education, science, and more

From the laboratory to the classroom, our alumni have continued to do great work upon graduating from Gettysburg:

Caitlin Moss ’13 and Carly Strelez ’14 both pursued PhDs, in microbiology and cancer biology respectively, after making the most of their liberal arts and sciences education at Gettysburg.
Wei Xiong ’15, who was Gettysburg’s inaugural Entrepreneurial Fellowship recipient, is now a software engineer at Uber and continues to mentor budding entrepreneurs.
Richard Huy ’16, the 2021 University of Chicago’s Outstanding Educator Award recipient, fosters a sense of community for his high school students in his French classroom.
Ben Pontz ’20, who currently attends Harvard Law School, has his sights set on a career that helps the communities he resides in, whether that’s for the government, a non-profit organization, or a law firm.