Aug 9, 2006 -- Fifteen 2006 graduates of Yeshiva University’s undergraduate schools will remain at the university as Presidential Fellows for the 2006-2007 school year. Established by President Richard M. Joel and now in its third year, the Presidential Fellowship in University and Community Leadership is part of a broader effort to train top graduates at the university and expand YU’s service to the Jewish community. “The program has motivated the participants to reflect on the positive experiences they have had at Yeshiva University and examine the opportunities in the Jewish community –– both for laypeople and professionals –– in light of their interests and skills,” said President Joel. “The Fellowship inspires the participants to reach for the nobility –– and responsibility –– that come with leadership.” The Presidential Fellows were chosen after an intense screening process based on their academic performance, campus leadership, and involvement with the Jewish community. Each fellow will work with a senior administrator, who will mentor them and elicit their feedback as former students. The new Presidential Fellows are: Rivvy Ackerman, a psychology major at Stern College for women, who will work in the Wurzweiler School of Social Work Dean’s Office; Yoel Eis, a history major at Yeshiva College, who will work in Enrollment Management; Eli Hagler, a management major at Sy Syms School of Business, who will work in the Office of Student Affairs on the Wilf Campus; David Herring, also a management major at Sy Syms, who will work in the Office of Purchasing and Materials Management; Joshua Jacoby, a political science major at YC, who will work at the Yeshiva University High School for Boys; Tiffany Khalil, an English literature major at Stern, who will work in the Office of Student Affairs on the Beren Campus; Jen Kraut, a history major at Stern, who will work in the Stern College Dean’s Office; Menachem Menchel, a psychology major at YC, who will work in the Office of Institutional Advancement, Department of Community Affairs; Eliana Rudolph, an English communications major at Stern, who will work in the Office of the President; Eliezer Shaffren, a psychology major at YC who will work in the Office of the Vice President for University Life; and Barrie Zigman, an English communications major at Stern who will work in the Department of Communications and Public Affairs. Three Presidential Fellows will work in YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) : Beth Katz, a history major at Stern; Avi Narrow-Tilonsky, an economics major at YC; and Laya Pelzner, an English communications major at Stern. For the first time, the program will place a fellow, Aliza Mainzer Hughes, an art history major at Stern, at the Yeshiva University Museum. The program is administered by Elysia Stein and directed by Rabbi Josh Joseph. The Fellows attend a graduate-level weekly leadership seminar covering key topics in university administration and Jewish communal leadership. “I hope the fellowship will build on some of the skills that I have, and teach me more about Jewish communal leadership at a level I would not be exposed to elsewhere,” said Stern College graduate Laya Pelzner. Ms. Pelzner will be working for YU’s Center for the Jewish Future when the fellowship begins in July, organizing its newsletter and assisting with programming. Some of the new Presidential Fellows are considering careers in Jewish communal service and see their participation as a good way to test the waters. Others will use their new skills and experiences as future lay leaders in the Jewish community. Some of last year's Presidential Fellows have been hired by the university. Aviva Needle will continue to work in the dean’s office at Stern College, and Aliza Abrams will work for CJF overseeing programming and will also attend Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Hindy Poupko, Presidential Fellow at CJF, will attend the dual program in Nonprofit Management and Israel Studies at New York University as a Wexner Fellow. Aaron Gavant, a Fellow at the Association of Modern Orthodox Day Schools and Yeshiva High Schools (AMODS), a division of the CJF, will attend law school at the University of Maryland. Michael Rosman will take a position in the consulting division at Ernst & Young. “The fellowship gave me a sense of empowerment, that what I do really matters. The ability to contribute and help cultivate the ideas and ideals for which the institution stands is truly amazing,” said Mr. Rosman, who worked in the President’s office. “The fellowship program has provided me with a strong foundation to go on to take a leadership role in the business world