Event Celebrates More Than 250 Publications by YU Faculty and Staff On May 4, Yeshiva University celebrated 60 faculty and staff who together published more than 255 books, plays, articles and other media between 2014 and 2017. Dr. Selma Botman, provost and vice president of academic affairs, commented in her remarks on the striking breadth of subjects covered by the authors in fields that ranged from social work to Jewish history to physics to cancer research. “This demonstrates the scholarship, creative activity, and research so vital to Yeshiva University’s mission. We are proud to showcase the work of our faculty and staff, whose contributions to knowledge and the arts bring honor to their schools and colleges. This is compelling evidence of our colleagues’ expertise and prominence in their respective fields.” Quoting an essay by the English poet John Masefield, President Richard M. Joel said, " ‘There are few earthly things more beautiful than a University,’ and YU is a great university with great teachers and great students centered around a great yeshiva. It is surely a beautiful thing, and there is no question that it is beautiful because of you.”

From left to right, President Richard M. Joel (center) and Provost Selma Botman (to his right) with University authors that included Edith Lubetski, Jeffrey Gurock, Rabbi Nachman Cohen, Marian Gidea, S. Abraham Ravid, Lauren Fitzgerald, Michael L. Reinert, Marlene Schiffman, Mordecai Cohen, Paul Glassman, Matthew Cuellar, Susan E. Mason and Stuart Halpern.

“Yeshiva University is only as strong as its faculty and the ideas they deliver to the world, and it appears that we are quite strong," said President-elect Ari Berman. "What Judaism has disseminated throughout the world is the power of the book, and the ideas within those books are more important than any power won by the sword. Continue to promote your wonderful ideas among our students, to the Jewish world, and the broader society.” Paul Glassman, director of university libraries and a co-organizer of the event with the Office of the Provost, was also one of the 60 authors being celebrated, having written The Handbook of Art and Design Librarianship in 2017. “I am so impressed by the productivity, scholarship and creativity of our faculty and staff,” he said, adding that “I have always appreciated how much the University values its libraries and place them at the forefront of the academic enterprise.” Shuli Berger, curator of special collections and Hebraica-Judaica for the libraries, was honored for having her translations of Yiddish stories included. “I really love the work that I do,” she said. “It’s nice to have others see it as well.” Josefa Steinhauer, assistant professor of biology, who has published several articles on her core research into male fertility by studying the genetics of fruit flues, was proud of the recognition given to her work and the work of the others. “It is also good for students to see how intellectually invested their teachers are and how they bring passion and intellectual engagement to the academic enterprise.” For a complete list of university authors and publications recognized at the event, click here.