“Let’s start with the most important topic: You.”
On March 25, President Joel opened the town hall meeting on the Beren Campus in this called-for manner. In light of the revelations made regarding the merging faculties and one “super- dean” to preside over both Yeshiva College and Stern College for Women, many students have been curious about how the merger will effect student life and the quality of undergraduate education. Joel stressed that the students’ “academic success, what you care about, is paramount.”
Joel acknowledged that even when times are challenging, the focus is always the students and our experience in this quality university and quality yeshiva. He explained that the university has dealt with critical financial issues in the past, but that we are not living at the easiest of times and the issues have never been of this scale. Joel stated that as the Einstein transition continues, it will relieve YU from two- thirds of its debt. He reassured the crowd that although Einstein will not be an official YU institution, it will always follow a Jewish calendar and have a special connection with our undergraduate program. Additionally, since it will be funded by the co- ownership of Montefiore, an academic hospital, the medical school’s research component will be able to continue and prosper.
Yeshiva University faces financial challenges; however, said Joel, YU is not just another university, but a “mission university.” It has a vision for the future and a driving force of invested students and faculty. Said Joel, the undergraduate faculties have gone through the “painful process of having to downsize the budgetary amounts for their academic enterprises,” downsizing between 5-6 million dollars. However, while the university determines what the budget is, what the curriculum is the domain of the faculty. While this seems like a major cut for the academic end of the university, according to Joel the administrative branches will be cutting three times that amount of money, “cutting expenses and increasing the profits, the profit being the students.” Other efforts towards restoring the budget will include revenue- producing programs, such as visionary initiatives like YU Global, and more aggressive fundraising.
As a “mission university”, the institution faces challenges unique to its model, versus other small liberal arts, business, or science programs. YU has two campuses, two curricula, and a niche student body. It has one of the lowest tuitions of any comparable private school, and scholarships are given to 50% of the student population. Therefore, Joel explained, there is no way the university can sustain itself without being very careful, deliberate, and relying on outside sources to maintain itself. He said that two separate faculties for 2,200 students did not make sense, and that there would be 13-15 fewer faculty members next year. This is not “stepping back” in his eyes, but stepping up and figuring out “what to do, how to do it, and how to do it right.”
According to Joel, the next three years will be spent figuring out what this merging exactly entails. A group of colleagues will convene and determine how to better use our resources and how to merge departments successfully. They will identify the curricula differences between YC and SCW and see in what ways they should and should not differ. The goal is “smarter, better, cheaper, and more exciting ways to move forward.”
Before opening the meeting to questions, Joel took a pause to applaud the student reaction and outreach to the families of Julia Packer a”h, and Max Profeta. He said that “nowhere but here” is there a community of this sort, and that the role students have played in helping out Max and his family, and comforting the Packer family, has been incredibly supportive and sensitive.
With the forum open for questions, Joel fielded inquiries regarding his previous statement about YU’s relatively cheaper tuition in comparison to other similar universities, and whether there will be cuts to the honors program. President Joel said they have pulled back on scholarships and maybe the honors program will change, but it will continue to do great things. He addressed a question relating to the Computer Science major and the rumors that the major will be up and running at SCW in 2016. Joel said he did not want to commit to 2016 when he does not know what that means. Provost Botman chimed in with some information regarding YU Global classes that will potentially be incorporated into the major. Lydia Lazar, one of the directors of YU Global, expanded on Botman’s statement and spoke a little longer about other YU Global initiatives, including doing business in China and Poland.
After a question regarding whether the Judaic faculties will be merged and Joel’s response that the Roshei Yeshiva can be more accessible to Stern Women, a few more questions followed regarding the Roshei Yeshiva’s roles within SCW, and also why Stern rebbeim do not get promoted to the title of Rosh Yeshiva.
Additionally, some student representatives from Cardozo School of Law were present to ask questions about the budget effects on the law school as well as to invite President Joel to host a Town Hall meeting for the law students.
The final question, addressed to Dean Bacon, regarded the differences between YC and SCW, and how the Dean and the faculty would plan to address the divide. Avigayil Bachrach, who posed the question, had said she had done research regarding the divide, and Bacon asked if they can look over the research together. Bacon also said that the schools have different departments and faculties, and many students will benefit greatly from the merger. Joel added that all faculty members have different roles, and that the small-minded comments of the faculty do not have a place and will be left behind.
He ended the meeting by saying everyone- faculty and students- will need to adjust.