Yeshiva University announces the creation of the new Leadership Scholars program in the Office for Values and Leadership. The initiative will provide cohort-based leadership training for ten outstanding incoming undergraduates at Stern College for Women, Yeshiva College and Sy Syms School of Business. Candidates will demonstrate excellence in academics and have a proven track record of leadership in high school and beyond. Awardees will receive a $25,000 scholarship for up to three years. “For the duration of their Yeshiva University experience,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University, “our Leadership Scholars will learn to work collaboratively, think strategically and critically, and deepen their managerial skills, ultimately empowering them to achieve positions of influence in nonprofit management, the business sector, education, or communal work. They will truly be the next generation of Jewish leaders.” Leadership Scholars will participate in ongoing seminars on both practical leadership skills and extra-curricular leadership activities. They will also benefit from mentorship opportunities, customized internships and enrichment experiences that include participation at the General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, conferences sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and other important convenings. Participants will also have the opportunity to travel internationally as a group and be in dialogue with student leaders at other universities.

Aliza Abrams Konig

Aliza Abrams Konig has been appointed Senior Program Director for the program. Konig is a graduate of Stern College and has served as a Presidential Fellow at Yeshiva University and is the former Director of Alumni Affairs and Student Life. She believes that the program will actualize the leadership potential  of each participant: “Our goal is to provide students with a transformative experience that gives them the tools and skills to hold leadership positions in our community and beyond.” Dr. Erica Brown, the Vice Provost for Values and Leadership and Director of the Sacks-Herenstein Center, is excited to partner with Konig in the creation of the program: “Yeshiva University provided me with foundational community-building skills as an undergraduate, and I believe this program will enrich the leadership capacities of these young scholars to have deep impact and influence well beyond their college years.”