Dr. Arnie Grossblatt dedicated the last ten years as program director nurturing the growth of the master’s degree in publishing program. When he came to GW he brought extensive experience in technology publishing, which was just what the program needed to continue developing its curriculum and begin offering an online education option.
“Arnie Grossblatt led the master’s degree Publishing Program at GW’s College of Professional Studies for ten years, creating a leading-edge curriculum responsive to the rapidly changing digital demands of the publishing industry. He assembled a faculty of nationally recognized leaders in the field and spearheaded the transformation of the highly successful face-to-face program into a superlative online degree program," said Jack Prostko, associate dean for learning and faculty development.
The program was still relatively new when he assumed program leadership. Several years earlier Beverly Jane Loo, now deceased, worked closely with Dr. Roger Whitaker, retired CPS Dean, to expand the program into a full master’s from the certificate program she had run at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). With her background in NY trade publishing and Whitaker’s vision for developing unique educational programs, they launched the degree program at GW.
When Arnie became program director he was well-positioned to use his knowledge to further strengthen GW’s program. The core curriculum was modified to provide a broad foundation of the entire industry, regardless of method of delivery (book, journal or digital) and three specialization tracks were added focusing on professional roles in business & marketing, editorial, or technology & design.
Another major milestone was launching the fully online program, in addition to the face-to-face format, with classes held in Alexandria, Virginia. The online program has now grown to be larger than the in-person program, with alumni throughout the country.
One of the activities Arnie speaks proudly about is having started an annual professional ethics conference. He felt it was important to integrate ethics topics into the curriculum and the annual conference gave a platform for the students to interact with the publishing industry and discuss these issues. Under his leadership they held eight annual conferences, including topics such as access to information, fighting censorship, environmental responsibility, editorial accuracy, scientific publishing and accessibility issues.
“As program director I was able to work hard and have fun while interacting with smart and motivated students and fantastic colleagues,” said Arnie. “I look forward to a more relaxed schedule in retirement, including reading, volunteering and other activities I decide to pursue.”
He leaves GW with many students, alumni and faculty remembering him fondly and wishing him well.