On April 15, the Horace Mann House officially opened and was recognized during an event with locally based Antioch University faculty and staff, as well as Otterbein University faculty, staff, and undergraduate students.
Located centrally, on W. Main Street in Westerville, Ohio, the House is just down the street from Otterbein’s Courtright Memorial Library and a five-minute (or less) walk from most campus locations.
Horace Mann was Antioch’s first president when it opened its doors in 1852 in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He was a lawyer and a Congressman from Massachusetts, and a well-known abolitionist and social reformer. He is also considered the founder of public education in the United States. “Horace Mann believed in the fundamental role of education for democracy,” shares Laurien Alexandre, PhD, Antioch University’s Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Dean Emerit.
Mark Moffitt, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Strategy and Marketing at Otterbein, said he is “excited to welcome our Antioch University colleagues to the Horace Mann House. Our partnership through the Coalition for the Common Good expands opportunities for Otterbein students, and Antioch’s presence on campus strengthens awareness of the Graduate Early Admission Pathways (GEAPs) and Antioch’s graduate programs. With 20 GEAP options introducing students to Antioch programs, this collaboration supports continued student success for years to come.”
Sue Constable, Associate Dean for the School of Interdisciplinary and Professional Studies at Antioch University and the Executive Director of the Coalition for the Common Good’s Education Programs, has been enjoying her time at the House. “I love working in the Horace Mann House.” She considers the House to be “a gathering space to bring faculty, staff, and administration together to discuss Coalition initiatives, plans, and experiences.”
Bridget M. Newell, Antioch’s Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs for Coalition Initiatives, is at the Horace Mann House one day a week for Otterbein-related meetings. “It’s nice to see students walking across campus and feel a bit of campus life. It’s always great to have others come to work in the House, too.”
As the Horace Mann House begins to bring colleagues together in new and meaningful ways, we look forward to welcoming collaborators like you to the house in the future, too!
