Message From Our President
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
I am pleased to present to you this Guide to our plans for the upcoming fall semester and reopening of our campuses. In form and in content, this coming semester will be like no other. We will live differently, work differently and learn differently. But in its very difference rests its enormous power.
The mission of Yeshiva University is to enrich the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of each of our students, empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to become people of impact and leaders of tomorrow. Next year’s studies will be especially instrumental in shaping the course of our students’ lives. Character is formed and developed in times of deep adversity. This is the kind of teachable moment that Yeshiva University was made for. As such, we have developed an educational plan for next year that features a high-quality student experience and prioritizes personal growth during this Coronavirus era. Our students will be able to work through the difficulties, issues and opportunities posed by our COVID-19 era with our stellar rabbis and faculty, as well as their close friends and peers at Yeshiva.
To develop our plans for the fall, we have convened a Scenario Planning Task Force made up of representatives across the major areas of our campus. Their planning has been guided by the latest medical information, government directives, direct input from our rabbis, faculty and students, and best practices from industry and university leaders across the country. I am deeply thankful to our task force members and all who supported them for their tireless work in addressing the myriad details involved in bringing students back to campus and restarting our educational enterprise.
In concert with the recommendations from our task force, I am announcing today that our fall semester will reflect a hybrid model. It will allow many students to return in a careful way by incorporating online and virtual learning with on-campus classroom instruction. It also enables students who prefer to not be on campus to have a rich student experience by continuing their studies online and benefitting from a full range of online student services and extracurricular programs.
In bringing our students back to campus, safety is our first priority. Many aspects of campus life will change for this coming semester. Gatherings will be limited, larger courses will move completely online. Throughout campus everyone will need to adhere to our medical guidelines, including social distancing, wearing facemasks, and our testing and contact tracing policies. Due to our focus on minimizing risk, our undergraduate students will begin the first few weeks of the fall semester online and move onto the campus after the Jewish holidays. This schedule will limit the amount of back and forth travel for our students by concentrating the on-campus component of the fall semester to one consecutive segment.
Throughout our planning, we have used the analogy of a dimmer switch. Reopening our campuses will not be a simple binary, like an on/off light switch, but more like a dimmer in which we have the flexibility to scale backwards and forwards to properly respond as the health situation evolves. It is very possible that some plans could change, depending upon the progression of the virus and/or applicable state and local government guidance.
Before our semester begins, we will provide more updates reflecting our most current guidance. Please check our website, yu.edu/fall2020 for regular updates. We understand that even after reading through this guide, you might have many additional questions, so we will be posting an extensive FAQ section online as well. Additionally, we will also be holding community calls for faculty, students, staff and parents over the next couple of months.
Planning for the future during this moment has certainly been humbling. This Coronavirus has reminded us time and time again of the lessons from our Jewish tradition that we are not in full control of our circumstances. But our tradition also teaches us that we are in control of our response to our circumstances. Next semester will present significant challenges and changes. There will be some compromises and minor inconveniences--not every issue has a perfect solution. But faith and fortitude, mutual cooperation and resilience are essential life lessons that are accentuated during this period. And if we all commit to respond with graciousness, kindness, and love, we can transform new campus realities into profound life lessons for our future.
Deeply rooted in our Jewish values and forward focused in preparing for the careers and competencies of the future, we journey together with you, our Yeshiva University community, through these uncharted waters. Next year will be a formative year in the lives of our students, and together we will rise to the moment so that our students will emerge stronger and better prepared to be leaders of the world of tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ari Berman
Depending on how one looks at the experience of flying into and out of LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in Queens, New York (former vice president Joe Biden did compare it to an airport “in some third world country”), Naomi Levin Katlowitz ’12S has either the best or the worst job in the world.
She is working with HOK on the redesign of LGA Terminal B. HOK (formerly Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum) is an American worldwide design, architecture, engineering and urban planning firm. “I joined the company as the redesign of LGA was just starting, so I was lucky enough to be placed in the aviation and transportation department. These past three-and-a-half years working on this state-of-the-art passenger terminal has been definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
More on the redesign in a moment. A more immediately interesting question is how a YU graduate came to work at the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering firm and the fourth-largest interior design firm, an unusual career path for a Stern College alumna.
Growing up in Teaneck, New Jersey, “I always knew that I wanted to be an architect from a very young age.” Her mother encouraged this desire by “making sure I had people in my life who could teach me.” She set her up with weekend art classes and connected her to an architect from their shul “who sat me down and gave me my first lesson in holistic design approach, understanding the importance of not only designing a beautiful interior but also making sure everything aligns.”
But though she loved architecture and knew she would pursue a career in the field, she chose not to pursue an architecture undergraduate degree because she had other important personal goals she wanted to achieve, such as “finding an environment where I felt comfortable looking deeper and finding meaning in the Jewish way of life.” Coming to YU allowed her to “select a program that would give me a fully rounded education that would serve me best in the professional and personal world.”
She chose a dual course of study with a physics major and an art minor because this combination satisfied in her a love of both rigorous thinking and artistic imagination. “Bringing these together,” she said, “allowed me to have two vastly different college experiences at YU.” In the physics department, she found a faculty committed to fostering a close community of questioning and exploring. “I was so lucky to have found two wonderful mentors, Dr. Anatoly Frankel (who is now at Stony Brook University) and Dr. Morton Lowengrub; both knew that I was ultimately going to pursue an architectural degree, and both took the time to talk about physics, math and life in general.”
On the other hand, the art department “is huge and diverse with students of incredible talent. I was able to put together a portfolio to apply to architecture schools with help from the art department staff. I loved taking classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which allowed me to round out my portfolio and art skills but still live with friends and a kosher caf.”
Some semesters were more heavily focused on the sciences, others more on art courses, “but the constant themes were Jewish community, pursuit of higher learning, and trying to gain as much diverse knowledge before focusing on architecture post-college.”
In addition to the top-notch academics in her dual program, she also had the gift of committed collegiality from her teachers and fellow students. “Stern College boasts high educational learning but also small classes, so I was able to get one-on-one time with academics at the top of their fields that you can’t get elsewhere. Everyone knew my interests and where I intended to go and tried to help me as best they could in every arena.”
She especially treasured the help she received from Dr. Lowengrub. “Not only did he take the time to discuss course material after class, but I always made sure to stop by his office at least once a semester to catch him up on my academic pursuits. He always made the time to chat and give advice. I had originally planned on majoring in the physical sciences, but he convinced me early on that I should major in physics and would love it despite my single-minded focus on architecture. He was right!”
The assistance given to her by the Career Development Center was also helpful. “The Center connected me with two wonderful architects in the New York area. Both were tremendous sources of information for the graduate school application processes and were invaluable in my decision about which graduate school to attend. To this day, I have maintained close relationships with both women, even working as a summer intern with one, and therefore I highly appreciate the value of having a mentor at every step of the process going from inbound college student to practicing architect.”
The power of these connections is something that has stayed with her as she has moved forward in her career. “At every point since I left YU—in graduate school, summer internships and my first job—I have made sure to find and maintain relationships with individuals who can continue to guide and facilitate my growth as a professional as well as find others who I can help so that I can pay it forward.” She has made sure the Career Center has her on their list of architectural alumni available for mentoring, and she has helped many aspiring students over the past six years.
She attended Pratt Institute for her graduate work “because it is known for its more esoteric and conceptual design approach than others. I made this decision because I knew that my thinking style is very direct and absolute (one of the reasons I love physics), and I wanted the opportunity to expand my mind.” Pratt also offered Katlowitz the chance to work with students who were not pursuing architectural degrees, “so I knew that I would be able to learn from those with different backgrounds than I while at the same time bringing something of my own to the mix.”
Working at LGA has required her to bring to bear her eclectic background in math, science and art. “I work with my team to design a phased construction approach. This allows the terminal to be built on the constrained site with minimal impact to existing conditions. Now that the first 11 gates have been opened on the eastern concourse, I feel even more pride to have contributed to a project of this caliber. Watching the first passengers walk through the newly constructed and opened concourse has been an immensely satisfying experience.”
Along the way, she has learned some valuable lessons about her chosen vocation. “Something that surprised me was how much total and complete communication is required to design, document and build any project, especially one of this size and quality. My first site visit during construction left me in awe of its magnitude and scale. There are so many different people involved at all levels, and everyone contributes a piece to the final puzzle.”
Another challenge concerns the attention to detail, “taking me back to what my first mentor tried to relate to me. There is nothing too small to ignore; every single line drawn on the construction documents means something, and every single modification results in a large trickle-down effect. Thinking three-dimensionally and holistically is incredibly important.”
Katlowitz admits that the airport redesign is the perfect project for her, one that draws upon all her strengths. “The challenge has been deriving a beautiful and active space from the practical and number-crunching aspects of flight schedules. This lets me merge my love of numbers and calculations with design. For example, the check-in area is planned out based on assumptions calculated from airline flight schedules, which also has to take into account the inevitable delays. All these data then need to translate into a practical and comfortable waiting area. It’s a numbers game that I love: accommodating the most passengers without overdesigning.”
Eventually, the airport redesign will be finished, but Katlowitz has no intention of moving away from architecture. “In the past year, I completed the seven exams and experience required for licensure in New York.” Her love of the practice does not only come from “combining my love of precise formulas and calculations with general concepts of design” but also from a deep belief that “the built environment is intimately tied to the quality of human life.”
A building is defined by more than just its physical elements; “it’s also defined how it is used by its occupants.” As she points out, one of the most important stages in design and construction is the last step of feedback and optimization because how the occupants use the building counts towards the success of the design. “For example, one of the most exciting aspects of the new terminal is it’s intuitive wayfinding and short curb-to-gate walking distances to maximize efficient passenger movement through the terminal. The architecture should serve its occupants, not the other way around.”
“I went to YU because I believed that from YU you can go anywhere, and I think my career is the best proof of that belief.” When not redesigning one of the busiest airports in the world, she builds a lovely family life in Riverdale, New York with Vigi, her husband, and their two-year-old daughter, Ella. Together, they like making and eating pasta while Ella points to all the planes as they fly overhead.
