Academic Enrichment Opportunities

One of the most valuable aspects of attending a small college is the assurance that you will be receiving individual guidance and encouragement in pursuing your educational goals. At Stern College for Women, this benefit is manifest both within and beyond the classroom, the beit midrash, the labs and the studios. Student-faculty interactions inevitably lead to meaningful discussions and creative projects that can be truly transforming. Below you will find descriptions of some special enrichment program that have developed over the years, largely in response to student interest and faculty initiatives. Some are directed at a particular major interest. Others are open to all. I encourage you to look at each of them as one way to explore how you might take advantage of the full benefits of being at Stern College.

—Karen Bacon, PhD
The Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean
Stern College for Women

General Enrichment

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program 

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program is built upon the premise that outstanding scholars should be brought together, challenged and encouraged to excel. The program nurtures students as it helps them to grow intellectually and personally in academic and extracurricular outlets. The academic program stresses writing and critical analysis, research and individual mentoring. In their final three semesters, the honor students each complete a senior project under the individual guidance of a faculty mentor. Each semester the Honors Program calendar includes a speakers series, leadership workshops and an exciting array of outings to operas, plays, museums and other cultural destinations. Students completing the Honors Program have the Honors distinction noted on their transcript and their diplomas.

Dean’s Scholars Program 

Dean’s Scholars, selected by the Admissions Committee, receive academic scholarships, are invited to special receptions and lectures, are eligible to take honors level courses and have the benefit of a specially designated academic advisor in the Dean’s Office. Students are chosen for this honor on the basis of past academic achievement and leadership potential.

Kressel Grant 

The Henry Kressel Research Scholarship Program offers juniors and seniors the opportunity for a yearlong intensive research project under the direct supervision of a senior faculty member. The scholars receive a stipend for the year, along with travel money and appropriate research-support. Following their research tenure, Kressel Scholars present their projects to the student body to simulate a larger intellectual discussion on their topics.

Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought 

Under the direction of Dr. Meir Soloveichik, the center will offer students fellowships, tutorials, seminars and travel abroad options to explore the great moral, philosophical and theological questions of our age and to engage with leading thinkers both in the United States and in Israel.

Presidential Fellowship 

The Presidential Fellowship in the University and Community Leadership, awarded competitively, gives recent graduates the opportunity to serve as junior staff members at the university. Fellows attend weekly graduate leadership seminars while simultaneously working in various departments in the university. Each fellow is closely mentored by a senior university administrator.

Specialized Programs

Jewish Educators Project 

Recognizing the need for additional talented teachers in the field of Jewish education, the Legacy Heritage Fund has partnered with Stern College for Women to create the Jewish Educators Project. Students dedicated to a career in Jewish education are able to major in Jewish studies with a concentration in Jewish education. Outstanding students interested in pursuing this three-year track may apply to become Legacy Heritage Fund Scholars. Scholars receive full tuition support in the form of grants and forgivable loans for undergraduate study at Stern College. Additional aspects of the program include one on one mentoring, professional development, intensive Hebrew language instruction and substantial fieldwork experience.

Law, Dispute Resolution and Justice 

This project is under the direction of Edward Stein, vice dean of YU Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. The seminar meets six Fridays during the semester for two hours with members of the Cardozo faculty to explore selected issues related to constitutional law, civil rights, international law, public policy, and other topics. The class explores the way in which the U.S. legal system resolves disputes and addresses fundamental questions of justice in our society through legal reasoning and processes including statutes, litigation, criminal procedures, and alternative dispute resolution processes.

Jewish Foundation for Education of Women 

SCW partners with Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) and offers the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women Science Fellowships. Recipients of the JFEW Fellowship receive $15,000 scholarship support for each of three years. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in summer research internships for which they receive a stipend, attend and present research at national and international science conferences, receive one-on-one mentoring by Stern science faculty and participate in lectures and workshops on topics addressing leadership training, career development and academic success.

Scheiber Scholarship to the Albert Einstein School of Medicine 

Benefactor Anne Scheiber believed in the mission of YU: to apply the best of Torah values and Western knowledge to serving the community at large. Before she died in 1995, she established the Anne Scheiber Scholarship Fund for financially and academically deserving Jewish women studying at Stern College for Women and Albert Einstein College of Medicine “who have indicated their desire to assist in the development of humanity, and alleviate pain and suffering.” Scholarships up to full tuition are awarded to graduates of Stern College for Women entering Albert Einstein College of Medicine who require financial assistance. Scholarships will be given out each year to qualified students with the amount based on the student’s need.

SERC Fellowship 

The Stern Einstein Research Connection Program, created and funded by Stern College alumnae attending the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, provides a student between her sophomore and junior years with an introductory summer research experience at the medical school. In addition to arranging for the research experience, the SCW alumnae mentor advise the SERC Fellow as she acclimates to a major research environment. Selected students receive a stipend and are eligible for summer housing at the medical school campus.

Roth Scholars Program 

This program is open to YU undergraduates between their junior and senior years who are majoring in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, physics or psychology. Students accepted into the program conduct basic scientific research during the summer at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In addition, they participate in lectures and seminars. Roth Scholars receive a stipend of $3,000.

Frontiers in Biomedical Science 

Developed in conjunction with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, select first time on campus Dean Scholar undergraduates participate in Friday morning sessions at the medical school during the academic year. These sessions are geared to enhancing their understanding of current issues in medical science and practice. Lecture/discussion topics may include health economics, bioethics and health disparities as well as emerging biomedical research fields.