Otto Frederick Krausharr (November 19, 1901 – September 23, 1989) was an American professor of philosophy who served as the 6th president of

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a private liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland. It was chartered in 1885 by a conference in Baltimore led by namesake John F. Goucher and local leaders of the Methodist Episcopal Church.https://archive.org/details/h ...

. Kraushaar was also a professor at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

for 15 years.

Early life and education

Kraushaar was born on November 19, 1901, in

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt C ...

, to Otto Christian Kraushaar and Mary Elizabeth Staehling. Kraushaar attended the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in 1923 and a master's degree in 1927. He continued his graduate studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, earning a doctorate in 1933. His dissertation was titled ''Lotze's Theory of Knowledge''.

Career in academia

Professor at Smith College

While in graduate school, Kraushaar served as an instructor at Harvard and at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. Upon his graduation, he joined the faculty at

, where he taught in the

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

department for 15 years.

President of Goucher College

In 1948, Kraushaar left Smith to become president of Goucher College. Kraushaar led the school for 19 years and is credited with its emergence as a nationally recognized women's college. He was also responsible for overseeing the school's relocation from

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...

, which was first initiated in the early 1920s by former Goucher president William W. Guth. While at Goucher, Kraushaar sought to increase racial and religious diversity at the school by lifting quotas on Jewish students that had been maintained under his predecessor and by supporting and encouraging African-American applicants.

Professional affiliations

Kraushaar served as a consultant to a

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

commission on

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

and also with a gubernatorial task force on the public school system and

race relations in the United States Racism in the United States comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are related to each other, are held by various people and groups in the United States, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and ...

. He was a member of the

United World Federalists Citizens for Global Solutions is a grassroots membership organization in the United States. History Five world federalist organizations merged in 1947 to form the United World Federalists, Inc., later renamed World Federalists-USA. In 1975, ...

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pro ...

, and the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

Selected written works

* ''American Non-Public Schools: Patterns of Diversity'' (1972) * ''From the Puritans to the Present'' (1976) * ''Schools in a Changing City: An Overview of Baltimore's Private Schools'' (1976)

Personal life

In 1927, Kraushaar married Maxine MacDonald, with whom he had one daughter. He died at his home in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 87. Kraushaar was survived by his sister and five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraushaar, Otto Presidents of Goucher College Harvard University alumni University of Iowa alumni American philosophy academics 1901 births 1989 deaths Smith College faculty 20th-century American academics