Message From Our President
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
I am pleased to present to you this Guide to our plans for the upcoming fall semester and reopening of our campuses. In form and in content, this coming semester will be like no other. We will live differently, work differently and learn differently. But in its very difference rests its enormous power.
The mission of Yeshiva University is to enrich the moral, intellectual and spiritual development of each of our students, empowering them with the knowledge and abilities to become people of impact and leaders of tomorrow. Next year’s studies will be especially instrumental in shaping the course of our students’ lives. Character is formed and developed in times of deep adversity. This is the kind of teachable moment that Yeshiva University was made for. As such, we have developed an educational plan for next year that features a high-quality student experience and prioritizes personal growth during this Coronavirus era. Our students will be able to work through the difficulties, issues and opportunities posed by our COVID-19 era with our stellar rabbis and faculty, as well as their close friends and peers at Yeshiva.
To develop our plans for the fall, we have convened a Scenario Planning Task Force made up of representatives across the major areas of our campus. Their planning has been guided by the latest medical information, government directives, direct input from our rabbis, faculty and students, and best practices from industry and university leaders across the country. I am deeply thankful to our task force members and all who supported them for their tireless work in addressing the myriad details involved in bringing students back to campus and restarting our educational enterprise.
In concert with the recommendations from our task force, I am announcing today that our fall semester will reflect a hybrid model. It will allow many students to return in a careful way by incorporating online and virtual learning with on-campus classroom instruction. It also enables students who prefer to not be on campus to have a rich student experience by continuing their studies online and benefitting from a full range of online student services and extracurricular programs.
In bringing our students back to campus, safety is our first priority. Many aspects of campus life will change for this coming semester. Gatherings will be limited, larger courses will move completely online. Throughout campus everyone will need to adhere to our medical guidelines, including social distancing, wearing facemasks, and our testing and contact tracing policies. Due to our focus on minimizing risk, our undergraduate students will begin the first few weeks of the fall semester online and move onto the campus after the Jewish holidays. This schedule will limit the amount of back and forth travel for our students by concentrating the on-campus component of the fall semester to one consecutive segment.
Throughout our planning, we have used the analogy of a dimmer switch. Reopening our campuses will not be a simple binary, like an on/off light switch, but more like a dimmer in which we have the flexibility to scale backwards and forwards to properly respond as the health situation evolves. It is very possible that some plans could change, depending upon the progression of the virus and/or applicable state and local government guidance.
Before our semester begins, we will provide more updates reflecting our most current guidance. Please check our website, yu.edu/fall2020 for regular updates. We understand that even after reading through this guide, you might have many additional questions, so we will be posting an extensive FAQ section online as well. Additionally, we will also be holding community calls for faculty, students, staff and parents over the next couple of months.
Planning for the future during this moment has certainly been humbling. This Coronavirus has reminded us time and time again of the lessons from our Jewish tradition that we are not in full control of our circumstances. But our tradition also teaches us that we are in control of our response to our circumstances. Next semester will present significant challenges and changes. There will be some compromises and minor inconveniences--not every issue has a perfect solution. But faith and fortitude, mutual cooperation and resilience are essential life lessons that are accentuated during this period. And if we all commit to respond with graciousness, kindness, and love, we can transform new campus realities into profound life lessons for our future.
Deeply rooted in our Jewish values and forward focused in preparing for the careers and competencies of the future, we journey together with you, our Yeshiva University community, through these uncharted waters. Next year will be a formative year in the lives of our students, and together we will rise to the moment so that our students will emerge stronger and better prepared to be leaders of the world of tomorrow.
Best Wishes,
Ari Berman
In “J&J Tylenol, the Iowa Caucus and the RCBC: Crisis Management 101,” Kornwasser examined how leaders responded to three crisis situations: the Iowa caucus debacle; Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol tampering crisis; and the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County’s (RCBC) life-saving response to the COVID-19 situation.
The key lessons of his presentation: Be transparent, understand how you will deal with the unexpected, don’t blame others (“it’s our problem”), communicate often, act quickly, take decisive action, do not go into hiding, understand your constituents (customers, employees, vendors and so on) and tailor your plan for communications. Towards the end of the presentation, he talked about the importance of resilience in crisis management. Examples he used to make his points included reasons why the Jewish people observe the holiday of Lag BaOmer, which celebrates Rabbi Akiva’s resilience despite having lost 24,000 students.
On April 1, in a live online fireside chat moderated by Michael Klein (’18SB), Smith discussed his early career path, which included why he decided to get an MBA, why he entered the mutual-fund industry and why he was chosen to manage Magellan, at the time the largest mutual fund in the world. The talk also included his investing and market perspectives on how to beat market returns and implications for today’s wild swings. He warned that the crisis would have echoes for years and exhorted the students to take a very different view of market dynamics than they had taken just a month before.
Of special interest to the audience, Smith discussed being Jewish in the workplace and how his decisions have been influenced by Torah values. He gave helpful and insightful guidance on how to balance Yiddishkeit [observant Jewish way of life] and professional responsibilities; he also discussed his involvement in philanthropy.
To end the month, Dr. Wasserman held a live online fireside chat with Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, during which they covered the “3 Cs” of Rabbi Lebowitz’s career path and the role that Sy Syms played in shaping it, his experiences as a pulpit rabbi during the crisis, and his words of chizuk [emotional and spiritual encouragement]. The gems that emerged include the following:
Career Lessons: Test lots of waters before you decide on a path. Before making a major decision, make sure to consult your mentors and especially check with your spouses. While at YU, make the most of both the Torah and Madda sides of your education and learn how to bring them together smoothly when you enter the workplace.
Creative Chesed: As a people, we do a lot of chesed [charity]. In the current crisis, Hashem has taken from us our ability to do chesed in our usual ways, sparking our need to find more creative ways to help others. Think about someone who would benefit from your reaching out; make “random phone calls” showing your support or expressing your love for the person.
Family Focus: Sometimes we get so focused on doing chesed for others (for example, welcoming guests to our Shabbos table every meal) that we lose sight of what our family needs. Think about reserving one meal each Shabbos where you have only your family, like what we have right now.
Provide for Your Family: My heart sinks every time I see a financial appeal for a young family who lost a parent and will be left destitute without help from the community. Buy life insurance so your family won’t be in that situation!
Long-lasting Adjustments: We have had to adjust in a lot of ways. Think about adjustments you’ve made that you want to continue even after the crisis ends and find ways to consciously build them into your routines so they will last for the longer term.
