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
Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, has announced several changes to the University’s Board of Trustees. The changes come following four years of steady growth under Dr. Berman’s leadership and as the University positions itself for the next phase of expansion.
Ira Mitzner has been elected Chairman of the Board, while Moshael Straus – who completed his six-year term as Chairman – has become Chairman Emeritus.
Mitzner, who joined the Board in 2007 and became Vice Chairman in 2013, has over his tenure contributed extensively on multiple committees, including finance, real estate, development and the President Initiative Committee.
A longtime YU Benefactor who was awarded an honorary degree in 2011, Mitzner has supported many initiatives to forward the educational and outreach efforts of YU, several of them connected to his parents. As examples, he established the David Mitzner Dean of the Center for the Jewish Future and the David Mitzner Presidential Fellowship to honor his father, and the Ruth Buchbinder Mitzner Chair in Talmud and Jewish Law at YU’s Israel campus to advance the teaching of Jewish studies in honor of his mother. Most recently, he worked with the Sy Syms School of Business to create the Mitzner Master of Science in Real Estate and has also funded several scholarship programs as well as YU Today, a University publication that profiles the extraordinary talents of faculty, alumni and students in the YU community.
“I am both honored and humbled to be taking on this role because of the deep and abiding love I have for this treasured institution,” said Mitzner. “Yeshiva University continues to be at the cutting edge of higher education while instilling Jewish values that prepare graduates to make a positive difference in the world, and I can’t think of a more welcome privilege than continuing to move that sacred mission forward.”
Dr. Berman extended a warm congratulations to Mitzner on his new position, saying that “we are all confident in Ira’s upcoming success and look forward to working together as we build on our foundation for the next great era of Yeshiva University with a multiyear framework that prioritizes core values, academic excellence and financial stability, all while ensuring maximum personal and professional success for our graduates.”
Moshael Straus, an alumnus of both the high school and Yeshiva College, has had a long and illustrious career of service to the university. He was elected to the Board in 1998 and served as a Vice Chairman before becoming Chairman in 2015. He has also served as Chairman of The Board of Overseers of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration and on the Board of Trustees of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. His wife, Zahava ’80C, is a member of the Board of Overseers at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
The Strauses have a long history of supporting initiatives at Yeshiva University, including through the Joseph Straus Scholarship Fund at Cardozo, endowments of the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair in Jewish Education at Azrieli and the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus Chair in Talmud at RIETS, as well as the establishment of the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought.
“I want to sincerely thank Moshael for his invaluable leadership, friendship, wisdom and constant devotion to our beloved university,” said Dr. Berman. “He is a dear friend and an amazing partner, and I am proud of all that we have been able to accomplish together.”
In other Board developments, former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman and David Nagel will join as new Trustees.
Lieberman, who served as a member of the U.S. Senate from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013 and was the Democratic candidate for U.S. Vice President in 2000, is Senior Counsel at New York City-based law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres. In 2014, he was appointed the Joseph Lieberman Chair in Public Policy and Public Service through a gift from University Benefactors Ira and Ingeborg Rennert. Since that time, he has been highly involved in university life through teaching courses, giving lectures, and providing counsel and mentorship to YU students. His work with YU has added a crucial international perspective to the study of history, ethics and political science.
David Nagel follows the footsteps of his dear father Jack Nagel, who joined the YU Board of Trustees in 2007. Nagel is President and CEO of Decron Properties and serves as President and Chairman of the Board of Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Boys High School.
Additionally, Elliott Gibber was named Vice Chairman, joining Phil Friedman in that role. Ludwig Bravmann stepped down as Vice Chairman and was named to the honorary title of Vice Chairman Emeritus. Sender Cohen was named Trustee Emeritus in recognition of his many years of service on the board.
