2008 Woodie Awards
YU to Reaccredit Israeli Yeshivot
Israeli Roshei Yeshiva Wait for Conference, More Dialogue
Zev Eleff
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: News
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The Office for University Life recently sent a letter to over 50 yeshivot and seminaries informing them of Yeshiva's plan to reevaluate and reaccredit participating schools in the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program over the course of this academic year.
The letter, sent by Vice President for University Life Hillel Davis, cited growing concern on the part of parents and national educational departments about the worthiness of granting college credit for overseas courses as the reason for undertaking this bold project. In addition, the letter stated that Yeshiva President Richard M. Joel has planned for the University to undergo a reaccredidation process for some time in order to ensure that Yeshiva's standards are being kept by participating schools in Israel.
Currently, Yeshiva offers 32 credit hours to Wilf Campus students studying in Israel. Stern-bound students, however, stand to receive an additional half-year of credit from Yeshiva for study in Israel, due to the difference in curricula offered in women's seminaries.
The reevaluation of undergraduate credit for these schools will involve four major factors: the percentage of students who had formerly planned to attend Yeshiva who do so after their year in Israel, the academic and programmatic quality of the Israeli yeshivot and seminaries, the ideological and educational stances of Israeli schools compared to those of YU and the Israeli programs' overall openness and willingness to communicate with YU.
"We need to revisit our expectations of yeshivot and seminaries in Israel and see what should be considered worthy of being part of the constellation of Yeshiva University," said President Joel. "We know students come back better motivated and with better classroom skills. Yet, we are the ones offering credit and therefore have a responsibility to parents to say that we find these yeshivot worthy of giving 32 credits."
President Joel added that "this really has more to do with YU proving that it's educationally worthwhile to parents than it does with the education being offered in Israel."
The letter, sent by Vice President for University Life Hillel Davis, cited growing concern on the part of parents and national educational departments about the worthiness of granting college credit for overseas courses as the reason for undertaking this bold project. In addition, the letter stated that Yeshiva President Richard M. Joel has planned for the University to undergo a reaccredidation process for some time in order to ensure that Yeshiva's standards are being kept by participating schools in Israel.
Currently, Yeshiva offers 32 credit hours to Wilf Campus students studying in Israel. Stern-bound students, however, stand to receive an additional half-year of credit from Yeshiva for study in Israel, due to the difference in curricula offered in women's seminaries.
The reevaluation of undergraduate credit for these schools will involve four major factors: the percentage of students who had formerly planned to attend Yeshiva who do so after their year in Israel, the academic and programmatic quality of the Israeli yeshivot and seminaries, the ideological and educational stances of Israeli schools compared to those of YU and the Israeli programs' overall openness and willingness to communicate with YU.
"We need to revisit our expectations of yeshivot and seminaries in Israel and see what should be considered worthy of being part of the constellation of Yeshiva University," said President Joel. "We know students come back better motivated and with better classroom skills. Yet, we are the ones offering credit and therefore have a responsibility to parents to say that we find these yeshivot worthy of giving 32 credits."
President Joel added that "this really has more to do with YU proving that it's educationally worthwhile to parents than it does with the education being offered in Israel."
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Robert Kantowitz
posted 10/11/07 @ 11:37 PM EST
There is no free lunch. A year or two in Israel should be undertaken because of the inherent benefits of learning Torah full-time in that environment. (Continued…)
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