May 15, 2006 -- Yeshiva University President Richard M. Joel joined many of the world’s most respected university presidents and Jewish communal leaders who participated in the Hillel conference, “Inspiring Values, Creating Leaders,” the first international summit of academia and Jewish communal leadership. The event took place May 21-23 in Washington, D.C. and explored the relationship between the Jewish community and academia and how they can work together to advance common goals. The panel in which President Joel participated was “Spirituality, Religion and the University,” moderated by Gwen Ifill, managing editor of Washington Week and senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Other panelists were John J. Gioia, president of Georgetown University, and Mark Yudof, chancellor of The University of Texas System. The summit also examined how to strengthen Jewish life on campuses, building strategic, cooperative relationships between the Jewish community and campus leaders, and creating meaningful leadership opportunities for students, among other topics.