Spring Break
YU Israel Schools to Undergo Reaccreditation Process
Yael Wolynetz
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: News
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As part of an ongoing program of academic evaluations, all fifty seminaries and yeshivot in YU's S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program will undergo a reaccreditation process that will determine whether or not they will remain affiliated with the university.
Dr. Hillel Davis, vice president of University Life, confirmed that he initiated the process by sending out letters to the Israel program's participating schools, indicating the need for each institution to reassess its relationship with YU.
According to Vice President Davis, the reaccreditation process serves a number of important purposes for the university as a whole. He pointed to the fact that over the years, the number of undergraduate students participating in the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program has increased dramatically.
"This means that for a majority of our students, one quarter of their university education is not provided by us," Dr. Davis noted. "If we as an institution are concerned with enhancing the education of our students, we have to ensure that every school in the program is moving in the long step process."
SCW Dean Karen Bacon reiterated this idea. "Since there are so many more students enrolled in the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program than before and there are more programs associated with us, we became appropriately concerned with quality control," she remarked. "We felt it would be irresponsible to not update our information by looking closely once again at this experience in which students are awarded a year of academic credit."
For Dr. Davis, the reaccreditation process will serve as a "standard bearer" for the participating schools. "As an academic institution, it behooves us to be assured that we are awarding appropriate credits to our students," he added.
The first area of concern is the number of students who attend the Israel schools and continue their studies at YU.
"Over the years we have had concerns with some schools where virtually no Yeshiva University students have attended," observed Dean Bacon. "In the absence of on-campus students who have studied in these schools, we have no real way to measure outcomes. As we go through this review process, we want to be certain students are actually learning enough to merit the academic course credits awarded."
Dr. Hillel Davis, vice president of University Life, confirmed that he initiated the process by sending out letters to the Israel program's participating schools, indicating the need for each institution to reassess its relationship with YU.
According to Vice President Davis, the reaccreditation process serves a number of important purposes for the university as a whole. He pointed to the fact that over the years, the number of undergraduate students participating in the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program has increased dramatically.
"This means that for a majority of our students, one quarter of their university education is not provided by us," Dr. Davis noted. "If we as an institution are concerned with enhancing the education of our students, we have to ensure that every school in the program is moving in the long step process."
SCW Dean Karen Bacon reiterated this idea. "Since there are so many more students enrolled in the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program than before and there are more programs associated with us, we became appropriately concerned with quality control," she remarked. "We felt it would be irresponsible to not update our information by looking closely once again at this experience in which students are awarded a year of academic credit."
For Dr. Davis, the reaccreditation process will serve as a "standard bearer" for the participating schools. "As an academic institution, it behooves us to be assured that we are awarding appropriate credits to our students," he added.
The first area of concern is the number of students who attend the Israel schools and continue their studies at YU.
"Over the years we have had concerns with some schools where virtually no Yeshiva University students have attended," observed Dean Bacon. "In the absence of on-campus students who have studied in these schools, we have no real way to measure outcomes. As we go through this review process, we want to be certain students are actually learning enough to merit the academic course credits awarded."
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