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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New Report Details Recommendations for Measuring the Sustainability Impact of Shared Micromobility
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 9, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, Superpedestrian, the MIT-spinoff engineering firm behind the world's safest and smartest e-scooters, released a report on how the industry is moving forward to measure the sustainability impact of micromobility. The report, which was commissioned by Superpedestrian and produced by the Cities Today Studio, also announces a new standardized life cycle assessment process for e-scooters, developed by a multi-sectoral working group and headed by the New Urban Mobility Alliance (NUMO).
"We know that micromobility is making a positive environmental impact in cities by displacing car traffic. However, the industry lacks ways to fully capture the environmental impacts, which makes it difficult for cities to draw a direct connection between human-scale transportation and their sustainability goals," said Jamie Perkins, Director of Communications at Superpedestrian. "Finally, the industry and cities are working together to standardize the process for measuring micromobility's substantial environmental benefits."
Initiated by Superpedestrian in 2021, the working group includes representation from major operators including Lime, Bolt, Tier, Bird, Lyft and Spin. Cities are also participating, including Seattle, Los Angeles and Oslo, Norway, as well as experts like life cycle assessment expert Anne de Bortoli of Polytechnique Montreal (CIRAIG).
Life cycle assessment is a way to measure the total emissions from a product or service — not just the emissions created from its operation. This includes the emissions from extracting raw materials, manufacturing, shipping, servicing, and powering the vehicle. Cities are increasingly focused on the environmental impact of micromobility, and demanding that operators report sustainability metrics in the permit selection process. Up until now, however, there has never been a standardized process for calculating the sustainability impacts of e-scooters. The LCA guide will be released this spring.
The report interviews government officials from Washington, D.C., Bordeaux, France, Chicago and Milton Keynes, England, four cities that all point to achieving sustainability gains as a driving force behind their scooter programs.
In addition to announcing the life cycle analysis standardization, the report brings together governments, system operators and research experts to explain the need for standardized environmental impact measurements for micromobility. It also details ways that micromobility operators are already making the industry more sustainable, such as using long-range or swappable batteries.
Read the report: superpedestrian.com/how-to-measure-the-environmental-impact-of-micromobility
About Superpedestrian: Superpedestrian was spun out of MIT in 2013 with the mission to develop the world's smartest and safest light electric vehicle fleets. In 2020, Superpedestrian debuted the LINK Scooter, heralded as "The Volvo of e-Scooters" for its patented Vehicle Intelligence platform that actively prevents costly mechanical and electrical hazards that beset other e-scooter operators. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Transportation Companies of 2022, Superpedestrian has become a world-leader in transportation robotics and human-scale mobility, holding over 40 patents in autonomous failure protection for vehicles, automated maintenance software, fleet optimization, and vehicle context awareness.
Contact Information:Jamie Perkins
Director of Communications
jamie.perkins@superpedestrian.com
970-222-7587
Original Source: New Report Details Recommendations for Measuring the Sustainability Impact of Shared Micromobility
Empath Launches AI-Enabled Opportunity Marketplace: Unlocks Internal Mobility
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Empath, Inc. a global leader in skills intelligence, has announced the release of its Opportunity Marketplace. Powered by Empath's AI-based Skills Intelligence platform, the Opportunity Marketplace takes a skills-based approach to enabling internal mobility for employers and employees alike.
Empath's Opportunity Marketplace complements the company's already robust Skills Intelligence Platform (SIP). It builds on SIP's existing ability to recommend jobs for employees based on skills, focusing on short-term roles that fill critical gaps for employers while providing employees with opportunities to advance their careers. With the Opportunity Marketplace, managers can announce projects and short-term positions, while employees can seamlessly apply through the platform for roles that match their skills.
"Empath's Opportunity Marketplace can jumpstart any company's internal mobility efforts," said former Chairman and CEO of Kellogg's and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO of Empath. "With EOM, companies are able to boost employee engagement, increase skills development, and improve operational efficiency and drive organizational growth. The change can be transformational."
About Empath
Empath's suite of AI-enabled products leverages the company's advanced machine learning capabilities and deep skills expertise. Empath offers a range of products to help customers build and maintain future-proof, skills-based organizations, including its Skills Taxonomy Manager (STM), the Empath Proficiency Library (EPL), Skills Inventory Snapshot, and its flagship Skills Intelligence Platform (SIP).
Visit www.empath.net to learn more.
Contact Information:Carlos M. Gutierrez
Chief Marketing Officer
carlosm@empath.net
202-455-0395
Original Source: Empath Launches AI-Enabled Opportunity Marketplace: Unlocks Internal Mobility
