For this 80-year-old graduate in the University of Delaware’s class of 2022, his work has only just begun.
Steven Goodhart, the oldest student participating in the university’s May 28 commencement ceremony, received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, according to a UDaily article. .
Prior to graduating from the University of Delaware, Goodhart received two degrees from Penn State: a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1964, followed by a master of engineering in engineering science in 1970.
After hearing great things about the university from his two children, both alumni of the school’s master’s programs in 1996 and 2000, paired with the university’s Over-60-Tuition-Free Degree program, Goodhart decided to become a Blue Hen.
The Over-60-Tuition-Free Degree program allows Delaware residents aged 60 and older to attend classes for free if they are accepted as formal degree candidates. A portion of the 155 credits Goodhart accrued at Penn State were transferred over to the University of Delaware when he applied for enrollment.
Goodhart retired in 2013 prior to his second surge at a college education, but always knew he did not want to spend all his time relaxing with friends and family.
“I wanted to go back and study the humanities and learn the things I had no exposure to as an engineering student,” said Goodhart when interviewed by UDaily. “I also was very interested in criminal justice and wanted to discover more about this field.”
Goodhart spent most of his career working at the Philadelphia Navy Yards and moved to a suburb in north Wilmington with his wife in 1974. Having a home in Delaware allowed for a quick commute during his working years as a civilian employee for the federal government and also paid dividends when Goodhart transitioned to post-retirement life.
During his undergraduate career at UD, he worked part time for the Delaware Center for Justice and took Basic Mediation Training at the Biden Institute. The Delaware Center for Justice, formerly known as the Prisoner’s Aid Society, helps implement programs that allow victims of crime, at-risk youth and the incarcerated the chance at a fresh start.
Goodhart has been a volunteer at the center since 2016 and worked with a team of mediators to find resolutions on cases that ranged from low-level to more serious crimes. During the spring of 2022, he did remote field work at the center as part of his capstone criminal justice course.
“Such mediation relieves some of the workload on the attorneys, judges and others in the court system,” Goodhart to UDaily. “Surprisingly, people aren’t usually too upset by the time they reach the mediation table. They are ready to work things out.”
Although Goodhart might stand out as the oldest member of the class of 2022, he said he never felt ostracized due to his age and saw the campus as a welcoming place.
“It felt strange to be the oldest person, but the kids were great,” he said to UDaily. “In a lot of classes, we would be split into small groups for projects. We spent a lot of time working closely together and I was never made to feel different.”
His studies at UD gave him the confidence to embark on a career in the criminal justice field if the opportunity comes up, he said, adding that the university’s criminal justice program is “excellent.”
Professors of Goodhart praised his dedication and his eagerness to learn more about the justice system.
“He continually impressed me with how much he understood, but equally how open he was to new ways of looking at law and justice,” said Aaron Fichtelberg to UDaily, an associate professor and associate chair in the department of sociology and criminal justice. “Every time I called on Steven he was prepared and every time he had something interesting to say.”
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