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The Foundation for Jewish Culture (FJC) announced today that it has raised a total of $818,000 from two major philanthropic foundations, the Washington, D.C.-based Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation, to be used to further enhance Jewish studies.

 

The funding comes at a time of increasing challenges for all humanities-based programs, including Jewish studies, at U.S. colleges and universities.

The funding has permitted the Jewish Studies Expansion Program (JSEP) to select six schools to receive matching 1:1 grants. These six colleges and universities, including some of the leading institutions in the country, will hire postdoctoral teaching fellows by spring 2010.

The FJC has selected the following institutions for its 2010-2012 cohort: UC Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA), Portland State University (Portland, OR), University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), Colgate University (Hamilton, NY), and Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY).

“At this time of economic uncertainty for colleges and universities, the commitment of both the Schusterman and Jim Joseph foundations underscores the importance of providing undergraduates with substantive Jewish educational opportunities on campuses across the country,” said Elise Bernhardt, President and CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Culture. “We are deeply thankful to both foundations for their generous support.”

The Jewish Studies Expansion Program provides greater opportunities for Jewish learning and engagement at schools with small and under resourced Jewish studies programs and keen support from undergraduates, faculty, and administration. A JSEP matching grant permits the hire of a two-year postdoctoral teaching fellow, who expands the number of courses offered and helps raise the profile of Jewish studies through cultural programs and other campus activities.

Currently, JSEP teaching fellows have increased enrollments in Jewish studies by as much as 46%, with some 60% of students reporting they had not taken a Jewish studies course before. Furthermore, an independent evaluation revealed that JSEP courses stimulate students’ interest in Jewish studies on both an academic and personal level. Courses appear also to have a positive impact on Jewish students not otherwise engaged in Jewish life on campus, while they appear to foster increased tolerance and understanding among non-Jewish students.

In selecting the schools who will comprise its 2010-2012 cohort, JSEP was drawn not only to the academic excellence of these six campuses, but also to their geographic diversity and the blend of smaller liberal arts colleges and larger public and private universities. Four of the six campuses are included in the U.S. News & World Report 2010’s Top 100 colleges and universities in the country.

“We are pleased to continue our investment in the Jewish Studies Expansion Program,” said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.  “This project is making a measurable impact on a variety of campuses and realizing our goal of increasing the number of college students who have the opportunity to learn about Jewish life, history and traditions.”

“We are proud to support the Jewish Studies Expansion Program, and in particular the teaching fellowships at UC Santa Cruz and Syracuse Universities,” said Al Levitt, President of the Jim Joseph Foundation. “The program is very well suited to furthering the aims of our founder, who believed that focusing attention on young people is the best way to preserve a strong Jewish faith and proud heritage.”

Established in 2008 with a $1 million grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Jewish Studies Expansion Program is finishing the second year of its two year cycle at six sites, including: American University (Washington, D.C.), Northeastern University (Boston, MA), Ohio University (Athens, OH), Towson University (Towson, MD), Tulane University (New Orleans, LA), and University of Delaware (Newark, DE).

The Foundation will announce all six 2010-2012 teaching fellows in spring 2010.