YC: From Heimish to Professional

In an effort to be seen as comparable to other great liberal arts institutions, Yeshiva College’s relatively new administration has endeavored to raise the bar.  A close look at the attempts to enhance Yeshiva College reveals that improvement has mainly focused on academic rigor and increases in administrative professionalism. 

In its bid to elevate Yeshiva’s status among private, top-tier universities, Yeshiva University President Richard Joel hired Princeton University Professor David Srolovitz in 2006 to become Yeshiva College’s 10th dean. This major appointment was made a mere three years after Joel’s own investiture in 2003, signifying his commitment to a new era of greatness for YU.

Dean Srolovitz has been around for only three years, with many of his innovations having already impacted students and faculty alike.  Other developments, though, have been only implemented recently.  It is important to realize that even the changes that were instituted a while ago may have effects noticeable only in the long term.  As Mashgiach Ruchani Rabbi Yosef Blau wisely noted, "It's hard to evaluate policies that have effects difficult to quantify, especially over such a short period of time."

Dean Srolovitz, in an interview with The Commentator, stated his vision for Yeshiva College students: “Students at Yeshiva should gain an intellectual way of life, along with a strong sense of how to balance their lives. These are things not seen on curriculum that students should gain, in addition to proficiency in their chosen course of study.”

Other goals of the dean have been on the administrative aspect of the college.  “We’re looking for a shift away from the old system of protekzia,” said Srolovitz.  “Yeshiva College shouldn’t be a place in which a student who needs something walks into the Dean’s Office and asks for a signature allowing it.  With a more formal structure in place, students spend less time playing the system and more time learning.”  One example of this new policy has been the stricter guidelines regarding overtallying into a class.  Previously, students who wanted to enter locked-out classes merely needed the signature of the professor teaching the course, with some professors gaining notoriety as permissive and uncaring of class size.  Now students seeking to register for a closed course must file an official petition with Academic Advising, starting a sequence of evaluations based on student need.
But the lion’s share of the Srolovitz revolution has focused on improving the level of academics, with hefty investments in better academic resources.  Although this year’s budget crisis has effected a hiring freeze, Dean Srolovitz has hired a slew of 24 new professors since he arrived.  Of those, 10 are full-time, non-tenure-track hires, 12 are tenure-track hires and 2 are tenured hires.  

New, nicer faculty offices were supplied to the faculty, and the Office of the Dean has moved to the fifth floor of Belfer Hall with the express intent of being closer to them.  Professor William Lee recalled the small office he received when he arrived at Yeshiva 20 years ago.  “I had a nine by nine office which I shared with five other professors,” he said.  “That made it hard to have a private conversation with a student.  I now have closer relationships with students, due in part to my new private office.” 

As the Office of the Dean was formerly located on the first floor of Fuerst Hall, one student opined that it made the deans less accessible to the students.  “It became a schlep to go to the Dean’s Office every time I needed something,” exclaimed former student Zev Lerner (YC ‘08).  “They didn’t seem to take students into consideration when they made the move to Belfer.”

Additionally, research facilities have been updated and expanded, with new psychology labs added to the concourse level in Belfer.  This trend of hiring professors and improving faculty accommodations shows an increased willingness on the behalf of Yeshiva’s administration to spend.  Such generous policies are a must when it comes to attracting nationally renowned professors like English Professor Adam Newton and Philosophy Professor James Otteson, both of whom recently joined Yeshiva College’s faculty.
President Richard Joel exclaimed, “The faculty believes in possibilities, because we're giving them better compensation.”   He added that spending more was necessary for happy and productive professors.  “They feel a sense of equity now.”

Music Professor Noyes Bartholomew said that previous Yeshiva College deans were more restricted financially than Dean Srolovitz is.  “All three Deans with whom I've worked have steadfastly, relentlessly and thanklessly argued for the need for increased funding for their programs.” He added, “Sometimes, though, there’s nothing to give.”  Professor Bartholomew expressed hope in the current administration, saying, “My judgment is that Dean Srolovitz is on the right track for YC.”

Yeshiva administration has made an effort to provide more opportunities for students to be involved in faculty research.  With this increase in professors involved in research as well as more students interested in doing it with them, Yeshiva’s reputation has started to swing towards that of a research-oriented university.  According to the Office of the Dean, at least 17 students are currently doing research with professors.

“The emphasis on research may be the only short-term action that can raise YU’s standing among other universities now,” explained Professor Lee.  “But good teaching is just as important as good research.”  Dean Srolovitz concurred, saying, “Bad teaching will prevent a professor from receiving tenure, but only good teaching won’t get it.”  Srolovitz admitted, however, that “a professor’s research is an important part of his or her receiving tenure, and it’s definitely scrutinized when tenure decisions are made.”       

Dean Srolovitz has long been pushing an initiative to reduce grade inflation – or as he puts it, grade compression – which he argues will help professors and graduate schools differentiate among the students’ performances.  “Yeshiva College must have a system that distinguishes between adequate and excellent performance,” the dean stated.  “We must recognize the students who go the extra mile.”  Srolovitz added, “To be taken more seriously by graduate schools and employers is beneficial for all students in the long run.” 

Towards this end, the dean has handed out grading rubrics to faculty, with clear guidelines standardizing marks for papers and assignments.  Additionally, professors have been instructed to limit the amount of A’s they hand out.  These policies create a larger grading distribution, with a larger variety of marks based on fairer standards.   

In the past, students could push off assignments and term papers for a few semesters, receiving an I (standing for “incomplete”) on their transcripts.  No more, said the dean.  Students not completing all coursework will by the end of the semester will fail the course, with I’s being distributed by the deans rarely and only due to extenuating circumstances.
 Dean Srolovitz also expressed an interest in “tracking” students in different classes within one subject.  “It’s ridiculous to assume that all students are on the same level,” he said. 

The ramifications of the dean’s work at Yeshiva have sometimes been hard to detect.  “I don’t know how the dean’s policies have affected me so much,” said Ben Kandel (YC ‘10).  “I’m a physics major, though, and Dean Srolovitz’s connections with professors at other universities have been invaluable for summer research and graduate school opportunities.”

For the most part, though, the dean’s efforts to raise the level of rigor in college classes have borne fruit.  Tuvia, a junior in YC who preferred his last name withheld, said that “I’m Pre-Med, and was in early admissions two years ago.  I came back after learning in Yeshiva in Israel and was surprised to find that my classes are overall much harder now.”
Shaul Seidler-Feller (YC ’11) offered a more nuanced approach to the dean’s achievements at Yeshiva College to date.  “The classes have not gotten harder since I got here two years ago, but from what I understand, I believe the additions in staff are significant and have raised the quality of the Jewish Studies department tremendously within the past 5 years.”

Increasing academic rigor means more time spent on work for classes, which in turn translates into less time for extracurricular activities, be it Torah learning, sports, or social events.  Dean Srolovitz, along with President Joel, is well known as a proponent of staying four years on campus in order to finish an undergraduate degree.  “If you just take one more year, you can spread the work around, and have more time for everything else you want to do.”  

The dean remonstrated on this issue, saying, “We are willing to provide strategies that can make four years on campus a reality.  Parents and students should be on same page when it comes to getting the most out of a college education.”

Between the years 2003 – 2005, the percentage of graduating students spending four years on campus declined slightly, from 30% to 22%.  Since Dean Srolovitz’s arrival in 2006, however, the percentage has increased, from 25% to 29% in 2007, finally reaching an all-time high with 39% of this year’s graduating class remaining on campus for at least four years.
Dean Srolovitz noted the current trend, explaining, “The current financial situation makes people rethink their situation and future plans.  Students aren’t in such a hurry to get a job in this economy, and take the offer of staying in college for an extra year seriously.”

Since most students, though, do not remain in YU for four years, one wonders what these students are giving up.  Rabbi Blau, who as Mashgiach Ruchani has his finger on the pulse of the Torah learning at Yeshiva, claimed that not much has changed in the Beit Medrash.  “I haven’t seen any changes in Beit Medrash activity as a result of the dean's policies,” he said.  Rabbi Blau attributed the apparent contradiction between more rigorous classes and constant levels of Beit Medrash attendance to the nature of Yeshiva University students. “Yeshiva College has always been a place where guys can choose between taking hard and easy classes.  Guys have always found a balance that works for them, and if they want to learn Torah they will find a way of doing that while going to college.”

At the end of his meeting with The Commentator, Dean Srolovitz mentioned that he was pleased with what he accomplished so far.  “There is a changing attitude of students and faculty concerning what the administration is doing in the university,” he said.  The dean also pointed out the recent curriculum review showing continuing improvement with regards to the intellectual aspects of the college.  “I’m just glad to be a part of this,” he concluded.