Sep 10, 2015 By: yunews
Dear Members of the Yeshiva University Community,
I want to share with you remarks I made to the Yeshiva University Board of Trustees yesterday evening.
It’s been a tremendously productive summer, culminating a period of two years of intense research, activity and motion moving us forward with excellence. Previously, you’ve received communications about our restructuring – with wonderful guidance from our advisors at Alvarez & Marsal, Attain and others; inspired leadership of our trustees and vice presidents across the teams, and proactive problem solving from faculty and administrators throughout both the Yeshiva and the University. We have just launched a Strategic Planning and Restructuring Implementation Team to carry the restructuring forward. Now we are moving from restructuring to an academic and operational turnaround.
Today I can announce that we just completed the formation of a joint venture between Yeshiva University and the Montefiore Health System for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, making this groundbreaking medical school an affiliate of both institutions. Montefiore assumes operational and financial responsibility at Einstein while YU’s commitment to medical education continues through our academic oversight, granting of medical degrees, supervision of Jewish traditions, and the preservation of the special relationship with YU and its students. This landmark agreement represents a major turning point and strengthens the foundation from which we can build on the unique mission and educational experience at Yeshiva, and continue implementing new programs and initiatives to broaden and deepen our reach. Please click here to learn more.
There are many other important developments, too, and I want to highlight a few here:
- I am thrilled to announce that Mordecai and Dr. Monique Katz have given us an additional $15 million, raising their prior gift for the current Capital Campaign to $25 million.
- With their help, we will be launching a new School of General Studies and Continuing Education, which will serve as a platform for a series of new degree programs and certificate programs, and will serve as host to YU Global.
- Our classes have begun, and student and faculty are enjoying a wonderful fall.
- We launched 10 online classes in our summer school. We continue to build blended and online courses, are offering a wonderful online Masters of Jewish Education, and will offer an online Masters in Marketing.
- We have received an anonymous $1 million gift to serve as a challenge gift for increases in the Annual Fund campaign.
- Net undergraduate tuition revenue has increased nearly $6 million in two years.
- We are shortly signing an agreement to outsource housekeeping, maintenance and plant operations to Aramark.
- We are working on outsourcing technology across the university to streamline operations and drive data-based decision making.
- We are centralizing our communications team and university-wide events implementation.
- Renovation of the Gottesman Library will be completed by November.
- Construction begins on the Pedestrian Plaza on 185th Street in November, thanks to the city and state.
- Our high schools are growing and succeeding year by year.