Editor’s note:In an effort to keep the Yeshiva University community up-to-date on the ongoing independent investigation into allegations of past abuse, YU News will continue to share all official statements with the public in the post below.
UPDATED Statement from the Yeshiva University Board of Trustees (January 16, 2013)
In light of recent inquiries, the Board of Trustees of Yeshiva University would like to clarify the scope and nature of the investigation currently being conducted by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, with the assistance of Lisa Friel and TM Protection. Sullivan & Cromwell has been given unfettered access to all Yeshiva personnel, documents, correspondence and other records, including raw computer data, that could be relevant to its investigation. Sullivan & Cromwell has also been given the unrestricted authority to pursue any leads that may shed light on all matters related to the investigation. The Board of Trustees is fully aware that it will be judged on the manner in which it conducts this critical and sensitive matter and, in that connection, will, as always, seek to meet, if not exceed, the best possible practices employed by institutions that have confronted similar circumstances. We expect the findings of the investigation will be communicated to the public following completion of the investigation. Read the rest of this entry…
Grant to Encourage Community Day School Graduates to Study at Yeshiva University
The Kohelet Foundation is funding a scholarship for graduates of community day schools to encourage them to study at Yeshiva University, the country’s oldest Modern Orthodox institution of higher learning.
The Philadelphia-based Kohelet Foundation is giving Yeshiva $720,000 over the next six years to provide scholarships to students from Jewish community day schools, so-called because they are not attached to any one stream of Judaism. Modern Orthodox day schools and Yeshiva high schools comprise YU’s traditional base.
Yeshiva University Extends $1 Billion Fundraising Campaign; to Raise Additional $400 Million for Undergraduate Scholarships
Yeshiva University is embarking on a “Mandate to Matter,” an aggressive drive to both complete the final stages of a $1 billion capital campaign it launched in 2006 and to raise an additional $400 million for undergraduate scholarships, a core University priority.
YU launched the $1 billion campaign—a comprehensive, University-wide campaign encompassing Yeshiva’s undergraduate, graduate and professional schools and affiliates—with an initial record-breaking $100 million gift from industrialist Ronald P. Stanton. In total, it has raised some $800 million, much of it during a very challenging economic environment. Read the rest of this entry…
Course Taught by President Joel Offers Students Firsthand Lessons in Leadership
Always take the blame—but be sure to hand out credit. Answer all your mail. Have a lot of ideas—but remember, not all of them will be great ones.
President Richard Joel introduces Stephen Trachtenberg to his “Leadership in the Nonprofit World” class.
These were just a few helpful pointers guest speaker Stephen Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University, offered Yeshiva University students during class on a chilly Wednesday night in December. Trachtenberg noted he usually gives that advice to newly-appointed university presidents—not undergraduate students, per se. However, in the Sy Syms School of Business course designed to place students squarely in the shoes of nonprofit greats, his remarks provided insight into a question the group had been considering for almost a semester: What does it mean to be a leader in the nonprofit world? Read the rest of this entry…
New York City Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson Meets with President Joel, Tours YU Campus
President Richard M. Joel greets NYC mayoral candidate Bill Thompson.
Bill Thompson, former comptroller of New York City, visited Yeshiva University on Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Thompson, a 2013 New York City mayoral candidate, was greeted by Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel and Vice Presidents Rabbi Joshua Joseph and Jeffrey M. Rosengarten. Together they discussed Yeshiva University’s mission, and toured the YU campus, including the beit midrash and 185th street pedestrian plaza.
Reception Honors Yeshiva University Employees Celebrating Milestone Anniversaries
On Wednesday, December 19, President Richard M. Joel and Yeshiva University’s Human Resources Department hosted a program and reception honoring YU employees on the Manhattan campuses who celebrated milestone anniversaries during 2012. The ceremony, held in Weisberg Commons on the Wilf Campus, recognized milestones ranging from ten to 50 years of service.
One of Yeshiva’s longest-serving employees, Dr. Herbert C. Dobrinsky, vice president for university affairs, received special recognition for his 50 years of service. Read the rest of this entry…
Students, Faculty and Alumni Illuminate Yeshiva University Hanukkah Dinner
Students, faculty and alumni who embody the mission of Yeshiva University were recognized as “Points of Light” during the dinner portion of Yeshiva University’s 88th Annual Hanukkah Dinner and Convocation, held at New York City’s Waldorf=Astoria on December 16.
Points of Light Dr. Marina Holz and Helen Unger.
“There are so many lights that shine brightly at Yeshiva University. Tonight, we focus on individuals who serve as exemplars of the past, present and future of Yeshiva University,” said President Richard M. Joel, who invited each Point of Light on stage to light a symbolic candle on a menorah.
The Points of Light included Helen Unger, a senior at Stern College for Women, and Dr. Marina Holz, assistant professor of biology. Unger grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she attended public school before enrolling in Stern College’s S. Daniel Abraham Honor’s Program.Under Holz’s tutelage, Unger’s research in the breast cancer field has won numerous awards, including the Toby Eagle Memorial Scholarship in Cancer Biology and a position in the highly selective Sloan-Kettering Undergraduate Research Program. Unger is also the first YU student to receive the Thomas Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students.
“I wanted an environment where being an Orthodox Jew wouldn’t be at odds with my secular education,” Unger said of her decision to attend Yeshiva University. “Moreover I value a small learning environment, and the direct mentorship I received at YU more than speaks to why I chose to come here.” Read the rest of this entry…
White House Chief of Staff Keynotes Hanukkah Convocation; $1.4 Billion Capital Campaign Announced
White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew delivered the keynote address at Yeshiva University’s 88th Annual Hanukkah Convocation and Dinner on Sunday, December 16 at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. President Richard M. Joel bestowed an honorary doctorate upon Lew, calling him “perhaps one of the highest-ranking Orthodox Jewish advisers to a head of state since the Abarbanel” and an embodiment of the value-infused and driven lifestyle members of the YU community seek to lead.
“We are the world’s Torah-informed University, charged with the sacred undertaking of engaging the world around us with our wisdom and our values and yes, our actions,” said President Joel. Read the rest of this entry…
With Milestone Victory, Jonathan Halpert Joins Elite Group of NYC Basketball Coaches
Yeshiva University’s Dr. Jonathan Halpert became just the seventh men’s basketball coach in New York City history to record his 400th career victory on Thursday night, December 6 at the Max Stern Athletic Center—on the same court dedicated less than one year ago in his honor. The YU Maccabees defeated visiting Skyline Conference opponent Maritime (N.Y.) College 72-50, notching their second win of the early season.
YU received an 18-point, eight-assist effort from senior Gil Bash (Tel Aviv, Israel), as the Maccabees shot 64 percent from the floor. Junior Shlomo Wiissberg (Skokie, Ill.) shot 7-for-9 from the field en route to a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double, while senior Dovie Hoffman (Tarzana, Calif.) and junior Benjy Ritholtz (W. Hempstead, N.Y.) poured in 12 and 11 points, respectively.
With 400 wins, Halpert joins a select group of New York City men’s college basketball coaches who have reached this milestone Read the rest of this entry…
Yeshiva College Dramatics Society Celebrates 100th Production by Honoring Longtime Member
On December 2, the Yeshiva College Dramatics Society (YCDS) celebrated one of its most beloved members with a reception and special performance of its 100th production, 12 Angry Men.
The play was originally performed by the founding cohort of YCDS in 1965 and is the first to be repeated in the society’s history. Members of that original cast joined other YCDS alumni for the evening honoring Rabbi Dr. John Krug, who first became involved with YCDS 42 years ago as a student actor and has served as lighting director in both a faculty and volunteer capacity ever since.
