Future of Glueck Center

Many students are eagerly awaiting the end of the Glueck Center construction, whether it be for the sake of serenity during class, or in anticipation of a new makom in a new beit medrash. Though students are anxious to finally witness the ribbon-cutting ceremony, scheduled for June 2009, the important question is what the building be used for. More importantly, how will students benefit from the Glueck Center?

The Glueck Center was originally conceived as a center for Judaic studies. Jeffrey Rosengarten, Vice President of Administrative Services, described the budding moments of the Glueck Center's funding and construction. While visiting the main beit medrash, Jacob Glueck reminisced about the learning environment he witnessed in the beit medrash of Satmar before World War II. With this rekindled memory and news that the batei medrash would be over capacity within due time, Mr. Glueck decided to fund the building project, the largest in 25 years and the first academic building since the 1970s.

With the building's primary purpose as a center for Judaic learning, students can expect a two-story beit medrash with a seating capacity for over 400 students. Additionally, the building will contain more than 40 offices which will serve Roshei Yeshiva and other faculty. The building will have four additional floors which will have over ten classrooms and two theater-style lecture halls. The building will be tech-savvy, and will accommodate laptops more easily in the Beit Medrash, with the possible option of wireless access. The construction also includes the building of a lobby area on the corner of 185th and Amsterdam that will connect the Glueck Center and the library. Mr. Rosengarten described this lobby as a symbolic merging of Torah U'Madda, as it will bridge the library and beit medrash.

There has yet been no decision as to whom or which programs will be seated in the beit medrash. The options of placing RIETS, MYP, and BMP students in the Glueck Center beit medrash still exist. While many students look forward to a seat in the new beit medrash, some are concerned that it is too much of a schlep from the dorms. In particular, some students who chose Muss Hall because of its proximity to the main beit medrash may be less than enthusiastic about the walk from Muss Hall to the Glueck Center. Although the building is meant primarily as the center of Judaic study, the classrooms will most likely be used for college classes during the afternoon. As classroom space is already limited, the administration is hoping to take advantage of the new space resources available.

Among the most anticipated features of the new building for students is the beit medrash itself. Ben Krinsky (YC '10) waits for the day when "everyone will be facing the same direction during davening." Students are also anticipating a beit medrash with good acoustics and speaker systems, so that Yeshiva lectures and sichot will be heard clearly throughout. On the other hand, while the beit medrash will offer many new high-tech features,some students are concerned that the new enhancements will infringe upon the kavod of a beit medrash, and thus features such as web access should be limited to Torah resources, to keep the beit medrash a pure makom Torah. While there is disagreement as to what should be featured in the new beit midrash, all students are anxiously awaiting the grand opening in June.