You’re invited to get to know Dr. Schwartz and to learn about her background, career, and vision. “I feel so honored to be taking on this role at this time,” she says. “I am so excited to work with all parts of the JTS community.”
Announcement from JTS Board Chair Alan Levine
On June 1, 2020, Alan Levine shared the following announcement with the JTS community.
Dear JTS Community,
I, along with the JTS Board of Trustees, am delighted to report that Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz has been selected as JTS’s eighth chancellor. She will succeed Chancellor Arnold Eisen, who will step down from his role on June 30, 2020, following a highly accomplished 13-year tenure.
Our search committee conducted a comprehensive, global search and received significant interest from a wide-ranging, diverse, and stellar pool of candidates. During the process, it became very clear that the right person to lead our institution was in our own midst, a beloved leader and respected scholar in the JTS and broader Jewish communities for almost 30 years. Dr. Schwartz will be the first woman to serve as chancellor of our treasured institution.
Many of you know Dr. Schwartz, a JTS alumna and our current provost. She earned her BA from Barnard College, and her MA and PhD from JTS. In 2018, she was named provost, and from 1993 to 2018, Dr. Schwartz served as dean of Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, JTS’s undergraduate school. During this time, she strengthened and expanded List College’s dual-degree programs with Columbia University and Barnard College, mentoring over a thousand students as they determined their professional and personal life paths. Since 2010, Dr. Schwartz has also served as dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, where she pioneered the creation of an MA program in Jewish ethics, a joint Jewish ethics MA/MPH with Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, and a new certificate program in ethics and social justice.
Dr. Schwartz has served for many years on the Academic Council of the American Jewish Historical Society and the academic advisory boards of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, and the Jewish Women’s Archive.
Her many academic accomplishments include the publication of the award-winning The Rabbi’s Wife: The Rebbetzin in American Jewish Life (NYU Press) and The Emergence of Jewish Scholarship in America: The Publication of the Jewish Encyclopedia (Hebrew Union College Press). She has published numerous articles on American Jewish history and culture.
This is a challenging moment in our world, as we face uncertainty about what the future will look like following this public health and economic crisis. However, with crisis comes opportunity and we are grateful and optimistic about our path forward with Dr. Schwartz at the helm. Her deep leadership experience, expansive academic background, and broad communal perspective will propel us forward. Fortunately, JTS is poised to meet this pivotal moment in American Judaism, having completed under Chancellor Eisen’s leadership the reimagining and creation of the new JTS campus and the launching of the public phase of the largest capital campaign in JTS’s history. We look toward the future with anticipation and hope.
I would like to thank the many individuals and groups who participated in the search in ways small and large. From our search committee, co-chaired by JTS trustees Mimi Alperin and Daniel J. Beller, to the focus groups of alumni, students, and board members, to interest groups who shared feedback online and in person, to the hundreds of individuals who filled out our online questionnaire, and those who shared private emails and conversations with many involved in the search process. This outpouring of feedback brought home to us just how invested people are in the future of JTS. We took this feedback to heart and it benefited the process in significant ways.
We owe much gratitude to Chancellor Eisen, who has led JTS with thoughtfulness, grace, and strength. In beginning our next chapter, we know that Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz will have a firm foundation to build upon as she takes JTS from strength to strength.
Sincerely,
Alan Levine
Chair
JTS Board of Trustees
Read the press release about the appointment of Dr. Schwartz.
JTS Appoints Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz as Chancellor
The Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz the eighth chancellor of JTS. A distinguished scholar of American Jewish history, with years of experience as a JTS professor and institutional leader, she will be the first woman to serve as chancellor of JTS in its 134-year history.
Meet Dr. Schwartz
In these short videos, get to know Dr. Schwartz and learn about her background, career, and vision. A third-generation JTS graduate, she says, “I feel so honored to be taking on this role at this time. I am so excited to work with all parts of the JTS community.”
Biography and Scholarship
In three decades at JTS, Dr. Schwartz has served as both a groundbreaking scholar and a visionary institutional leader. As dean of two schools and most recently as provost, she has shaped and strengthened JTS’s academic programs while teaching and mentoring countless students.
Educator’s Fund: For Alumni of The William Davidson School
As alumni of The William Davidson School, you inspire, teach, and lead. You engage learners with Jewish texts, ritual, history, and prayer to craft impactful programming, curricula, and experiences that spark personal connections and make meaning for diverse students. You have developed the skills to create communities of living Judaism and to touch the lives of countless learners. You are change agents in Jewish education.
Today is your time to invest in the future of The William Davidson School. Your support of faculty, student scholarships, and programs will enable us to continue to offer students the expansive textual and pedagogic skills that make Davidson alumni so exceptional.
Gifts of $5,000 or more, paid within five years, will be recognized on a plaque in the JTS Library. Gifts at every level will be acknowledged in the summer Alumni Newsletter.
Contact Us
If you would like more information about the Educator’s Fund or to learn about other ways you can participate in the Crossroads Campaign, contact Melissa Friedman at (212) 280-6001 or mefriedman@jtsa.edu. A gift at any level makes a real difference.
Your friendship and support as JTS alumni mean the world to us.
Learn more about the Crossroads Campaign, the most significant campaign in JTS history.
Hazzanut Fund: For Alumni of H. L. Miller Cantorial School
JTS is building a performance space to elevate the Jewish spirit. Here, the beauty of a cantorial solo and the syncopation of modern jazz might share the same stage. New theater pieces will be born from ancient Jewish texts. And artists from across the globe will celebrate Jewish life through original programs and events.
Essential to a state-of-the-art auditorium is a green room where artists prepare to take the stage.
Today is your time to invest in the future of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School. When you make a gift to the Hazzanut Fund for the Green Room, you will inspire students to discover their soulful voices, learn to uplift an audience, and mark the Jewish life cycle through music.
Gifts of $5,000 or more, paid within five years, will be recognized on a plaque in the Green Room. Gifts at every level will be acknowledged in the summer Alumni Newsletter.
Contact Us
If you would like more information about the Hazzanut Fund or to learn about other ways you can participate in the Crossroads Campaign, contact Melissa Friedman at (212) 280-6001 or mefriedman@jtsa.edu. A gift at any level makes a real difference.
Your friendship and support as JTS alumni mean the world to us.
Learn more about the Crossroads Campaign, the most significant campaign in JTS history
Mezuzah Fund: For Supporters of List College
List College has a new home! We invite you to help dedicate our new residence hall with a mezuzah and ensure that the next generation of List College students has a בית נאמן, a faithful, warm, and welcoming home.
Today is your time to invest in the future of List College. By sponsoring a mezuzah, you will sanctify this new space and help provide scholarships for List College students.
A gift of $1,800 will name a mezuzah on a single dorm room and a gift of $3,600 will name a mezuah on a double dorm room in the residence hall (pledtges can be fulfilled over 3-4 years). Each mezuzah dedication will be recognized on a plaque adjacent to the door.
Gifts at every level will be acknowledged in the summer Alumni Newsletter.
Contact Us
If you would like more information about the Mezuzah Fund or to learn about other ways you can participate, contact Melissa Friedman at (212) 280-6001 or mefriedman@jtsa.edu. A gift at any level makes a real difference.
Your friendship and support of JTS mean the world to us.
Standardized Testing Policy
Submission of standardized test results such as the SAT or ACT is strongly encouraged, but not required.
List College Admissions has always practiced a holistic, individualized approach to reviewing our applicants and selecting individuals who are the best fit for our unique program. Consideration of an applicant includes many factors beyond test scores, including the rigor of a student’s high school curriculum, academic success achieved, and demonstrated Jewish curiosity. As with all aspects of the college process, we want students to engage in self-advocacy and make choices that are best for them. Under this temporary policy, the Office of Admissions has no preference whether a student chooses to submit scores or not.
If you have completed testing, we encourage submission of your self-reported scores as this information can be a valuable addition in our review. We will only require an official record of the exam (if taken) for enrolling students. You will be evaluated based on your highest scores taken from each attempt, so please self-report all sittings. We’ll accept ACT and SAT scores through November test dates for Early Decision applicants and scores through January for Regular Decision applicants. Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT Subject Test, and other proficiency exams are not required, but we will also accept these scores should you choose to submit them.
List College seeks students who are intellectually motivated, community-minded, and excited for academic exploration within the liberal arts and Jewish studies. We are confident our applicants will continue to demonstrate those qualities to us through their applications again this year. We look forward to connecting with you throughout this process and being in touch with further opportunities to meet with our office virtually in the weeks and months ahead.
Overview
List College’s admission process is holistic and contextual, meaning standardized test scores are considered in the context of the rest of the application and in conjunction with the application’s other parts. For example, a math score will prompt us to look at the relevant math curriculum, grades, and any related teacher comments. For this reason, test scores are only one component of our application review, and they are never used as a sole criterion for selection. Please see below to view our standardized testing requirements and score choice policy.
First Year and Transfer appplicants
All applicants are required to submit results from either of the following exams:
- SAT (essay not required) – SAT Code: 2339
- ACT (writing not required) – ACT Code: 2776
International appplicants
Applicants whose primary language is not English and who have studied in English for less than four years should submit the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Contact us if you are unsure whether you are required to submit these exams.
Self-reported standardized testing
All first-year applicants may now submit their self-reported test scores from the SAT or ACT during the application process. Students may disclose their self-reported testing via the Common Application. If you need to update your scores after you apply, please submit your scores through the self-reported testing form within your application portal.
List College will also continue accepting score reports sent by counselors as official testing.
Only admitted students who choose to enroll will be required to submit official scores. We will require enrolling Early Decision students to submit official scores in January, Winter Early Decision students to submit in February, and enrolling Regular Decision students to submit in May. Discrepancies between self-reported and official scores may jeopardize a student’s place in the class.
Please note this policy does not apply for transfer applicants or English Language exams. Transfer applicants are required to submit official testing at the time of application. International students required to submit English Language exams must also submit official scores via the testing agencies.
Which Scores should I submit?
Although we will accept self-reported scores for first-year applicants, we expect students to self-report all their standardized testing scores from either the SAT or ACT. For each test, we will use the highest score in each section of the exam and recalculate your total score/composite score to create your “superscore”. If you are admitted and choose to enroll, you will be required to send in all your official scores of the SAT or ACT at that time.
Optional Standardized Testing
Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT Subject Test and other proficiency exam scores are not required, but we will accept your results if you choose to submit them in the testing section of your Common Application. You will not be at a disadvantage should you choose not to take these optional tests or submit the scores.
JTS Innovator: Rachel Ain
Rabbi, Sutton Place Synangogue, New York, NY
For Rabbi Rachel Ain, serving as the spiritual leader of Sutton Place Synagogue is not just her profession, it’s her passion. Head of this vibrant congregation in Manhattan, she oversees a Hebrew school, nursery school, bar and bat mitzvah lessons, adult learning, conversions, community organizing, ritual and prayer, and so much more.
The Crossroads Campaign: Creating Inspired Jewish Leaders
Through the Crossroads Campaign, we are raising funds to train outstanding Jewish leaders who will inspire generations of students, congregants, and communities. Partner with us in this historic investment in JTS and the Jewish world.
