Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
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Laurel Road: How Some States Are Taking Action on Student Loan Forgiveness
NEW YORK, June 12, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Laurel Road: Student loan debt is a major issue for Americans, with tens of millions of borrowers owing a staggering $1.76 trillion in federal and private student loan debt as of December 2022. Many struggle to pay off their debt, including recent graduates who might still be searching for steady employment.
Federal student loan borrowers may be able to pursue loan forgiveness through income-driven repayment plans or the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, if they're eligible. In addition, some individual states offer their own loan forgiveness programs that may prove helpful to qualified borrowers. In fact, the only state without any student loan forgiveness option is North Dakota, which removed its program in 2019. Here are four of the state governments that are taking action on student loan forgiveness, and some examples of the programs available:
Minnesota
Minnesota is one of the leading states in terms of student loan forgiveness programs, with six programs available to its residents. One such plan is the Minnesota Rural Physician Loan Forgiveness Program for healthcare professionals, which offers up to $33,000/year for four years if they work in underserved areas and facilities in the state. There are also loans for other medical professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, and dentists, and a program for lawyers who work in the public interest and who graduated law from a qualifying school.
New York
New York offers varying amounts of student loan forgiveness to professionals in different fields, including healthcare workers, lawyers, and teachers. For example, the Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program encourages recent graduates to pursue farming careers in the state. This program provides up to $50,000 in forgiveness to borrowers who obtain a degree from an approved college or university and agree to operate a full-time farm in New York for five years.
Another potential option is the NYS Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program, which offers an incentive to increase the number of licensed social workers working in critical human service areas, such as home care, mental health, substance abuse, and more. The program provides up to $26,000 for those who qualify.
Iowa
Iowa offers its residents six student loan forgiveness programs, including Teach Iowa Scholars, which provides up to $4,000/year of loan forgiveness for qualified teachers who work in schools in designated shortage areas for a maximum of five years.
The state also offers the Iowa Registered Nurse and Nurse Educator Loan Forgiveness Program, which provides loan forgiveness for registered nurses employed in Iowa and nurse educators teaching at eligible Iowa colleges and universities. And the Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program, created to address critical doctor shortages in rural communities, provides up to $200,000 in loan repayment to those that practice in approved locations for up to five years.
Arizona
Arizona's three programs include the Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program and Rural Private Primary Care Provider Loan Repayment Program. These offer forgiveness amounts between $4,000 and $65,000/year, depending on the area and how many years served. The program is meant to promote the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals by repaying qualifying loans in exchange for providing primary care services in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas or Arizona Medically Underserved Areas for two years.
Arizona also offers the Joyce Holsey's ALL (Arizona's Legal Legacy) Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which provides varying amounts to Arizona legal aid attorneys employed by an approved nonprofit organization.
State Programs for Forgiveness
Student loan debt is a significant issue for millions of Americans, but some states are taking action to help residents tackle their debt. From offering loan forgiveness programs for healthcare professionals who work in underserved areas to providing repayment assistance to teachers in qualifying public schools after graduation, these states are making a difference in the lives of their residents. State programs constantly change on a state by state basis. For the most up to date information please visit your home state website to see what programs are currently available.
References:
https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/HIST/cc_hist_memo_levels.html
https://thecollegeinvestor.com/student-loan-forgiveness-programs-by-state
Individual state government websites
Contact Information:Carolina d'Arbelles-Valle
Senior Public Relations Specialist
carolina.darbellesv@iquanti.com
(201) 633-2125
Original Source: Laurel Road: How Some States Are Taking Action on Student Loan Forgiveness
