2008 Woodie Awards
STAFF EDITORIALS: Dear Administration; The Other Menachem
Issue date: 5/16/05 Section: Editorials/Op-Ed
- Page 1 of 1
Dear Administration
Before we close the newspaper down for the summer and leave the campus free of our watchdog eyes, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight some remaining key concerns to the "movers and shakers" in the Yeshiva administration just in case they don't have enough to do over the vacation.
Mort Lowengrub, Vice-President of Academic Affairs - It has been a long year that has seen tremendous change in the undergraduate education at Yeshiva. While in years past we've been skeptical of the attention your office paid to the undergraduate programs (Stern College for Women and the Sy Syms School of Business included), we have also noticed a concerned effort this year to rectify that poor self image and build the colleges. The quasi-monthly meetings with your student advisory board have served as a genuine forum where student leaders voice their strictly academic concerns. And the openings of new tenure track lines in stagnant departments such as Jewish Studies can only be welcomed and applauded. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done and we remain concerned about a number of critical issues relating to the identity and existential nature of Yeshiva College in particular.
First, the communication between the senior administration and the university faculty, vis a vis their department cluster heads (at least in YC) needs mending. Too many times, we have seen an undercutting of their leadership, even sometimes keeping cluster heads in the dark regarding decisions made by senior administrators. The cluster heads were created in order to give larger flexibility and independence to the departments and their faculty. But if their authority and vision is constantly questioned by unilateral administrative decisions, their purpose is ill-served. Better communication, beginning from the Vice-President's office and trickling down to the Dean's office, is needed immediately.
Additionally, you have recently spoke of a "vertically integrated" model for Jewish Studies, where courses will be taught by the same faculty at varying levels of the institution - in the undergraduate morning programs, YC, and at Revel. As it stands, however, the current infrastructure makes such a program untenable. A vast chasm, intellectually and pedagogically, separates programs such as IBC and YC, and even MYP and Revel. To go forth with a model of vertical integration without attentive consideration given to "how we do Jewish Studies here" will leave us in further disarray. An honest evaluation of Jewish Studies at YC in particular and at Yeshiva University in general is necessary and should be conducted at once. In the process, we must also assess our Talmud only curriculum in the Mazer Yeshiva Program and the curriculum of the semikha program at RIETS (this may not be the right office to voice concerns about RIETS, but we trust you'll pass the information along to the right people). Though the Beit Midrash at Yeshiva is methodologically different from the classroom - and this has been a cognitive decision - it remains an integral component of our education here.
As such, we suggest an appointment of a Vice-President for Jewish Studies, a person who possess academic superiority and vast Torah understanding - pardon our using of the phrase - a Torah u-Madda persona par excellence. Centralizing oversight of our Judaic education will ensure it receives the constant attention it needs. The totality of the Yeshiva experience is at stake.
The appointment of R. Jeremy Wieder to the Jewish Studies cluster head is certainly right step in this direction. Yet R. Wieder's limited academic experience, as he had yet to teach full time or significantly develop his own curriculum, perhaps indicates that we may soon need to look elsewhere. Surely, he brings tremendous talent to the position, and we are uncertain whether to even suggest that his appointment is merely a band-aid to a department that is internal disarray; he truly embodies our Torah u-Madda ethos, as a Rosh Yeshiva and an academic, and for that he is fit for the position. But to build the department will require breadth and experience, something R. Wieder will only accumulate from years of teaching. Indeed, we realize the situation is not optimal, but we also know R. Wieder is a man of integrity and vision. And that is certainly a start.
Norman Adler, outgoing Dean of Yeshiva College - Visitors to Yeshiva a decade ago, would undoubtedly not recognize it today. When Dean Adler arrived ten years ago, the Dean's Office was virtually without computers. He quickly jumped into his role and within a few years banged out a freshmen book project, an honors program, and mentored students for Rhodes and Goldwater scholarships. Yeshiva College began moving forward when Norman Adler came to town.
Dr. Alder has chosen to remain at Yeshiva by rejoining the faculty and serving as a special advisor to Dr. Lowengrub. Yet we hope his appointment does not translate into more paper pushing and administrative head games. We have seen the visionary prowess of Adler, even though we perhaps could have benefited from stronger administrative oversight. We sincerely hope you will fully utilize your University Professorship and cross the inter-institutional lines to bring a broader and more comprehensive education to the undergraduate. We would like to see more interdisciplinary study, such as the programs you created at the University of Pennsylvania, and take advantage of our university's resources. Better advisement is also needed for students interested in academic postbaccalaureate fellowships in areas such as public policy and research; we have succeed with our pre-med, law, and business students, but ample guidance for humanities and social sciences geared graduates is still lacking. Bringing beter advisement and the professionalism and intellectual achievements of our graduate programs onto our undergraduate campuses will be an important step in rebuilding Yeshiva College.
Fred Sugarman, Assistant Dean, Yeshiva College - What can we say, we like you man! The assistant dean can be a thankless job, having to deal with, on a consistent basis, corner cutting students who exert more energy on getting out of requirements than fulfilling them. It demands a leveled head, steadfast ethics and personal integrity, but also the social skills to make students feel they are in a place where the administration and faculty cares about their education. We don't envy your long days spent signing off on academic holds and initialing forms, but we do appreciate the honesty and efficiency you've brought to the Dean's office. When the new dean arrives, it will be up to you to bring him/her up to speed. But as soon as the new dean settles in, we also hope that you will take up new leadership roles in the development of the college curriculum and course offerings. Your understanding of academia and how things should be at Yeshiva are commendable. Maybe teach a course every now and then as well. We promise we'll show up. We look forward to seeing great things come from your office.
Dr. John Doe, Dean of Yeshiva College - We don't know you, but we hope we recognize you well enough. Yeshiva College is a complicated place, and that's not something we're afraid to admit. You're entering a unique world, where students are generally passionate and enthusiastic about their studies. Just ask any of the nationally renowned members of the faculty - such as Ellen Shrecker or Louis Feldman - why they teach here; it's because of the students. As such, academic standards should be no different here than anywhere else, but for some reason some students (and even some faculty) tend to think otherwise. That has got to change. You've got your work cut out for you, but you also have soon-to-be colleagues and a tremendous faculty by your side, ready and willing to begin the reconstruction efforts. In a few months you will be presented with the findings of a college-wide curriculum review and will be pressed to implement its suggestions. Too many of the current departments are poorly staffed, and too many stellar faculty members are forced to teach humdrum requirements rather than engage students through electives in their areas of expertise. We need to liberate them from mediocrity and encourage mutual exploration. And, of course, you will need to be front and center, not only finding ways to harness our burgeoning faculty, but to attract new ones to join our team. Yeshiva College will be yours to transform. We hope you possess the vision to look beyond its current limitations and bring it to new horizons.
Center for the Jewish Future - On paper, you're the dream team of Modern Orthodoxy. But all dream teams suffer from internal competition, and often too much previous success can stall efforts to move forward. Without wandering into the realm of cynical skepticism, we will admit we have little understanding of what you intend to accomplish. But as a brain trust, we confidently believe in your individual potentials and hope you will recognize that in each other. If you are to succeed, in whatever agenda you propose, it must be able to transform the limits of New York centrism and expand to the broader Jewish communities of America. Our yeshiva day schools certainly can use a make over and it seems right that a place like Yeshiva - its own educational problems aside - begin to review our pedagogical and intellectual approaches to teaching our children. Simultaneously, however, we urge you to take advantage of the academic components of the university, of our professors and educators - not only those in Jewish Studies but in all departments - who have extensive knowledge of the history of ideas and its relevance to modern life. Obviously our Rosh Yeshiva will play an important role here, but our academic experts, in the fields of education, history, philosophy, and culture, should be invited to advise on this brain trust and better inform our civilization. If the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University is to succeed, it must cultivate the intellectual base of the university and integrate it with a newfound model of service to humanity.
Richard M. Joel, President - "Acharon, Acharon, Chaviv" we humbly address the leader of our institution (as if the comments made above do not apply to him either). In previous editorials this year, we have addressed some of the challenges you face in building Yeshiva into a more substantial academic institution, warranting both internal and external recognition. It appears as if the model you have proposed charts a course for Yeshiva based on communal service rather than the traditional ivory tower of the academy. This is a welcome change, but it must not come at the expense of the standards and intensity of the time-honored collegiate experience. Academics, intellectualism, research and the exploration of ideas must remain at the core of our institutional identity. We will have little to offer the world, and the Jewish community in particular, if we do not tread on solid ground. As the proud owner of two hats - the Yeshiva and the University - your windows from the twelfth floor of Belfer look out onto two vistas; its not easy being a president of a university as multifaceted as Yeshiva, let alone working as the chairman of Modern Orthodoxy.
Currently, your resources are somewhat limited, though we admire the manner in which you've built a cabinet and cadre of advisors. The much needed projects - capital improvements and building campaigns included - are too numerous to define, but they are also obvious. We take comfort in the fact that you have a vision for Yeshiva. Simultaneously, however, we maintain that priorities must be re-examined from time to time, in order to ensure that we stay true to our foundational bases. Yeshiva has undoubtedly moved forward in the past two years, and, as we prepare to leave the hallways of Yeshiva, we look forward to returning in the near future and seeing how much further you have taken us.
The Other Menachem
This year, The Commentator has been fortunate to have not one, but two Menachems on staff. While the first is most famously known for his method treatise on the education at Stern College for Women, the second Menachem has been less conspicuous on our pages, though undoubtedly a key player.
For those of you who know him, Menachem Butler is no need of an ego rub, but we're going to do so anyway. Since the beginning of the year, The Commentator has run an ongoing series entitled YUdaica, which has featured memories of over 75 persons affiliated with Yeshiva in the past 75 years. The cast of writers has been stellar, and would have never joined the project without Menachem's constant but loveable nagging. He took an unrefined, primitive idea and ran with it, attracting much impressive attention for The Commentator and creating a renewed intellectual buzz in the Modern Orthodox world. Our online membership soared to great heights this year, tripling from years past, precisely because of the attention grabbed by YUdaica. Yeshiva College history is being relived, and it is in no small thanks to Menachem. As one historian of American Jewish history said in an email to our editorial board, "YUdaica will serve as a primary text to study the history of Yeshiva and of early Modern Orthodoxy." Kudos Menachem on a job well done.
Before we close the newspaper down for the summer and leave the campus free of our watchdog eyes, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight some remaining key concerns to the "movers and shakers" in the Yeshiva administration just in case they don't have enough to do over the vacation.
Mort Lowengrub, Vice-President of Academic Affairs - It has been a long year that has seen tremendous change in the undergraduate education at Yeshiva. While in years past we've been skeptical of the attention your office paid to the undergraduate programs (Stern College for Women and the Sy Syms School of Business included), we have also noticed a concerned effort this year to rectify that poor self image and build the colleges. The quasi-monthly meetings with your student advisory board have served as a genuine forum where student leaders voice their strictly academic concerns. And the openings of new tenure track lines in stagnant departments such as Jewish Studies can only be welcomed and applauded. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done and we remain concerned about a number of critical issues relating to the identity and existential nature of Yeshiva College in particular.
First, the communication between the senior administration and the university faculty, vis a vis their department cluster heads (at least in YC) needs mending. Too many times, we have seen an undercutting of their leadership, even sometimes keeping cluster heads in the dark regarding decisions made by senior administrators. The cluster heads were created in order to give larger flexibility and independence to the departments and their faculty. But if their authority and vision is constantly questioned by unilateral administrative decisions, their purpose is ill-served. Better communication, beginning from the Vice-President's office and trickling down to the Dean's office, is needed immediately.
Additionally, you have recently spoke of a "vertically integrated" model for Jewish Studies, where courses will be taught by the same faculty at varying levels of the institution - in the undergraduate morning programs, YC, and at Revel. As it stands, however, the current infrastructure makes such a program untenable. A vast chasm, intellectually and pedagogically, separates programs such as IBC and YC, and even MYP and Revel. To go forth with a model of vertical integration without attentive consideration given to "how we do Jewish Studies here" will leave us in further disarray. An honest evaluation of Jewish Studies at YC in particular and at Yeshiva University in general is necessary and should be conducted at once. In the process, we must also assess our Talmud only curriculum in the Mazer Yeshiva Program and the curriculum of the semikha program at RIETS (this may not be the right office to voice concerns about RIETS, but we trust you'll pass the information along to the right people). Though the Beit Midrash at Yeshiva is methodologically different from the classroom - and this has been a cognitive decision - it remains an integral component of our education here.
As such, we suggest an appointment of a Vice-President for Jewish Studies, a person who possess academic superiority and vast Torah understanding - pardon our using of the phrase - a Torah u-Madda persona par excellence. Centralizing oversight of our Judaic education will ensure it receives the constant attention it needs. The totality of the Yeshiva experience is at stake.
The appointment of R. Jeremy Wieder to the Jewish Studies cluster head is certainly right step in this direction. Yet R. Wieder's limited academic experience, as he had yet to teach full time or significantly develop his own curriculum, perhaps indicates that we may soon need to look elsewhere. Surely, he brings tremendous talent to the position, and we are uncertain whether to even suggest that his appointment is merely a band-aid to a department that is internal disarray; he truly embodies our Torah u-Madda ethos, as a Rosh Yeshiva and an academic, and for that he is fit for the position. But to build the department will require breadth and experience, something R. Wieder will only accumulate from years of teaching. Indeed, we realize the situation is not optimal, but we also know R. Wieder is a man of integrity and vision. And that is certainly a start.
Norman Adler, outgoing Dean of Yeshiva College - Visitors to Yeshiva a decade ago, would undoubtedly not recognize it today. When Dean Adler arrived ten years ago, the Dean's Office was virtually without computers. He quickly jumped into his role and within a few years banged out a freshmen book project, an honors program, and mentored students for Rhodes and Goldwater scholarships. Yeshiva College began moving forward when Norman Adler came to town.
Dr. Alder has chosen to remain at Yeshiva by rejoining the faculty and serving as a special advisor to Dr. Lowengrub. Yet we hope his appointment does not translate into more paper pushing and administrative head games. We have seen the visionary prowess of Adler, even though we perhaps could have benefited from stronger administrative oversight. We sincerely hope you will fully utilize your University Professorship and cross the inter-institutional lines to bring a broader and more comprehensive education to the undergraduate. We would like to see more interdisciplinary study, such as the programs you created at the University of Pennsylvania, and take advantage of our university's resources. Better advisement is also needed for students interested in academic postbaccalaureate fellowships in areas such as public policy and research; we have succeed with our pre-med, law, and business students, but ample guidance for humanities and social sciences geared graduates is still lacking. Bringing beter advisement and the professionalism and intellectual achievements of our graduate programs onto our undergraduate campuses will be an important step in rebuilding Yeshiva College.
Fred Sugarman, Assistant Dean, Yeshiva College - What can we say, we like you man! The assistant dean can be a thankless job, having to deal with, on a consistent basis, corner cutting students who exert more energy on getting out of requirements than fulfilling them. It demands a leveled head, steadfast ethics and personal integrity, but also the social skills to make students feel they are in a place where the administration and faculty cares about their education. We don't envy your long days spent signing off on academic holds and initialing forms, but we do appreciate the honesty and efficiency you've brought to the Dean's office. When the new dean arrives, it will be up to you to bring him/her up to speed. But as soon as the new dean settles in, we also hope that you will take up new leadership roles in the development of the college curriculum and course offerings. Your understanding of academia and how things should be at Yeshiva are commendable. Maybe teach a course every now and then as well. We promise we'll show up. We look forward to seeing great things come from your office.
Dr. John Doe, Dean of Yeshiva College - We don't know you, but we hope we recognize you well enough. Yeshiva College is a complicated place, and that's not something we're afraid to admit. You're entering a unique world, where students are generally passionate and enthusiastic about their studies. Just ask any of the nationally renowned members of the faculty - such as Ellen Shrecker or Louis Feldman - why they teach here; it's because of the students. As such, academic standards should be no different here than anywhere else, but for some reason some students (and even some faculty) tend to think otherwise. That has got to change. You've got your work cut out for you, but you also have soon-to-be colleagues and a tremendous faculty by your side, ready and willing to begin the reconstruction efforts. In a few months you will be presented with the findings of a college-wide curriculum review and will be pressed to implement its suggestions. Too many of the current departments are poorly staffed, and too many stellar faculty members are forced to teach humdrum requirements rather than engage students through electives in their areas of expertise. We need to liberate them from mediocrity and encourage mutual exploration. And, of course, you will need to be front and center, not only finding ways to harness our burgeoning faculty, but to attract new ones to join our team. Yeshiva College will be yours to transform. We hope you possess the vision to look beyond its current limitations and bring it to new horizons.
Center for the Jewish Future - On paper, you're the dream team of Modern Orthodoxy. But all dream teams suffer from internal competition, and often too much previous success can stall efforts to move forward. Without wandering into the realm of cynical skepticism, we will admit we have little understanding of what you intend to accomplish. But as a brain trust, we confidently believe in your individual potentials and hope you will recognize that in each other. If you are to succeed, in whatever agenda you propose, it must be able to transform the limits of New York centrism and expand to the broader Jewish communities of America. Our yeshiva day schools certainly can use a make over and it seems right that a place like Yeshiva - its own educational problems aside - begin to review our pedagogical and intellectual approaches to teaching our children. Simultaneously, however, we urge you to take advantage of the academic components of the university, of our professors and educators - not only those in Jewish Studies but in all departments - who have extensive knowledge of the history of ideas and its relevance to modern life. Obviously our Rosh Yeshiva will play an important role here, but our academic experts, in the fields of education, history, philosophy, and culture, should be invited to advise on this brain trust and better inform our civilization. If the Center for the Jewish Future at Yeshiva University is to succeed, it must cultivate the intellectual base of the university and integrate it with a newfound model of service to humanity.
Richard M. Joel, President - "Acharon, Acharon, Chaviv" we humbly address the leader of our institution (as if the comments made above do not apply to him either). In previous editorials this year, we have addressed some of the challenges you face in building Yeshiva into a more substantial academic institution, warranting both internal and external recognition. It appears as if the model you have proposed charts a course for Yeshiva based on communal service rather than the traditional ivory tower of the academy. This is a welcome change, but it must not come at the expense of the standards and intensity of the time-honored collegiate experience. Academics, intellectualism, research and the exploration of ideas must remain at the core of our institutional identity. We will have little to offer the world, and the Jewish community in particular, if we do not tread on solid ground. As the proud owner of two hats - the Yeshiva and the University - your windows from the twelfth floor of Belfer look out onto two vistas; its not easy being a president of a university as multifaceted as Yeshiva, let alone working as the chairman of Modern Orthodoxy.
Currently, your resources are somewhat limited, though we admire the manner in which you've built a cabinet and cadre of advisors. The much needed projects - capital improvements and building campaigns included - are too numerous to define, but they are also obvious. We take comfort in the fact that you have a vision for Yeshiva. Simultaneously, however, we maintain that priorities must be re-examined from time to time, in order to ensure that we stay true to our foundational bases. Yeshiva has undoubtedly moved forward in the past two years, and, as we prepare to leave the hallways of Yeshiva, we look forward to returning in the near future and seeing how much further you have taken us.
The Other Menachem
This year, The Commentator has been fortunate to have not one, but two Menachems on staff. While the first is most famously known for his method treatise on the education at Stern College for Women, the second Menachem has been less conspicuous on our pages, though undoubtedly a key player.
For those of you who know him, Menachem Butler is no need of an ego rub, but we're going to do so anyway. Since the beginning of the year, The Commentator has run an ongoing series entitled YUdaica, which has featured memories of over 75 persons affiliated with Yeshiva in the past 75 years. The cast of writers has been stellar, and would have never joined the project without Menachem's constant but loveable nagging. He took an unrefined, primitive idea and ran with it, attracting much impressive attention for The Commentator and creating a renewed intellectual buzz in the Modern Orthodox world. Our online membership soared to great heights this year, tripling from years past, precisely because of the attention grabbed by YUdaica. Yeshiva College history is being relived, and it is in no small thanks to Menachem. As one historian of American Jewish history said in an email to our editorial board, "YUdaica will serve as a primary text to study the history of Yeshiva and of early Modern Orthodoxy." Kudos Menachem on a job well done.