2008 Woodie Awards
Honors Program Aims to Supplement Funds
Michael Cinnamon
Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Having been used for many of their designated purposes, including the opening the Honors Program, funds from the original Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein Honors Program grant have reached their full potential. As a result, newly installed Honors Program Director Dr. James Otteson has begun seeking additional funds for the Honors Program as a measure to support the program's existing initiatives in addition to creating new ones. In his pursuit, he has already secured numerous grants and continues to search for others.
Since he began working at Yeshiva, Dr. Otteson has been actively pursuing grants for the honors program from various institutions and foundations. The various minor grants he has already secured will be used for specific purposes.
Dr. Otteson described one larger donation as being in its final planning stages, in that, at this time, the attorneys are examining the contracts. This donation would come from an established educational foundation in New York whose interests include Jewish education. Dr. Otteson said that there are "a handful of other major donors and funding agencies waiting in line" to see what happens with this impending donation. He hopes that these other donors will then make their own major contributions to the honors program. He is hopeful that Yeshiva will be able to announce most of these major grants by the end of the academic year.
Seeking funds for the honors program at Yeshiva is a relatively new concept. In fact, Dr. Otteson told The Commentator that "in the past, the honors program directors in the past have not been expected to raise additional funds, but have been expected to use funds that were already there."
Now that the original grant has fully materialized and the honors program is more established, Dr. Otteson believes that the program must use additional funding in order to grow in quality, not necessarily in quantity. Dr. Otteson doesn't want to significantly increase the number of students in the honors program, but wishes to increase the number of dedicated faculty members, meaning faculty who will spend about half of its teaching time with honors students.
Since he began working at Yeshiva, Dr. Otteson has been actively pursuing grants for the honors program from various institutions and foundations. The various minor grants he has already secured will be used for specific purposes.
Dr. Otteson described one larger donation as being in its final planning stages, in that, at this time, the attorneys are examining the contracts. This donation would come from an established educational foundation in New York whose interests include Jewish education. Dr. Otteson said that there are "a handful of other major donors and funding agencies waiting in line" to see what happens with this impending donation. He hopes that these other donors will then make their own major contributions to the honors program. He is hopeful that Yeshiva will be able to announce most of these major grants by the end of the academic year.
Seeking funds for the honors program at Yeshiva is a relatively new concept. In fact, Dr. Otteson told The Commentator that "in the past, the honors program directors in the past have not been expected to raise additional funds, but have been expected to use funds that were already there."
Now that the original grant has fully materialized and the honors program is more established, Dr. Otteson believes that the program must use additional funding in order to grow in quality, not necessarily in quantity. Dr. Otteson doesn't want to significantly increase the number of students in the honors program, but wishes to increase the number of dedicated faculty members, meaning faculty who will spend about half of its teaching time with honors students.
Be the first to comment on this story