When I finished
high school, 45 years ago, one of the dilemmas our family discussed was whether
or not to go to college. While many Orthodox Jews were educated in the best
universities and worked as professionals, some more right-wing families were unwilling
to risk sending their Bais Yaakov-educated daughters and yeshiva-educated sons,
raised in our insular community, to a school where they would study in coed
classes and be exposed to alien ideas.
Today, the whole
world has changed. Any student can get a bachelor’s or master’s degree without
stepping outside the home. Such online programs have been increasing every year,
and the current pandemic has only accelerated the trend, with even on-campus
universities conducting classes online.
Among the many
online college programs, those that cater specifically to our community have
also proliferated. This summer, both my son and daughter finished master’s
degrees, one in speech and one in mental health counseling, without having to participate
in a secular college setting. Their fellow students are part of the community,
their teachers are aware of our sensitivities and hashkafos, and their
schedules are aligned with the Jewish calendar.
Many of the issues that used to characterize secular colleges have
disappeared.
My daughter
described her experience: “I did my speech therapy master’s program through TTI, which works with Nova Southwestern
University in Florida. The whole
program was online, except for the internships, of course. Our cohort cost less
money than dealing directly with the university. We were about 20 girls who
started and ended the program together. We became friends when we met in New York at the
orientation meeting of the program, and we worked together on assignments for
the whole 2.5 years.”
My son, who just
finished his masters in mental health counseling from Bellevue University
through YIEP, especially appreciated the camaraderie that was created by the
opportunity to meet his fellow students at an in-person seminar twice during
the program. “Even though all the classes were online, I got to know the other
students and benefited from being part of a cohesive group. We had discussion
boards where we could speak to each other, and during our internship we had a
meeting over Zoom every week. We had the flexibility of working on our own
schedule while still being part of a larger group of students.”
Another relatively
recent development in education is colleges granting credits through testing, without
attending class at all. Many frum students
are taking advantage of this. My niece, who is earning her bachelor’s degree
through testing, really enjoys the process. “At first it was very hard to get
motivated to do anything,” she says, “but now that I have gotten into the swing
of things I am really getting ahead. I already have 90 credits of the 120 that
I need. It takes me about two days to study for each test. Because of the
virus, I am able to take the tests at home on the computer, and I don’t have to
go to a testing center.” Here in Baltimore,
Mrs. Zippora Freedman acts as proctor for those earning their bachelor’s degree
through testing; she is also the librarian who lends them the study guides.
In this article I
will explore just a few of the many online options available for Jewish
students.
Community Testing Center
Lisa Meister runs
the Community Testing Center
in Baltimore.
Her program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree through taking tests
and earning all their credit without attending classes. These tests are
approved by NCCRS, National College Credit Recommendation Service.
People who work
diligently in this program can finish a degree in as little as six to twelve
months, according to Lisa. She helps her students personally and advises them
so they can get all the prerequisites they need for a master’s program.
Students can also use the credits they have earned from seminary or yeshiva
towards their degree. Students take the tests in Lisa’s home, where she
proctors them. Right now, her testing center is set up in a tent.
Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary and College
Dr. Leslie Klein
of Women’s Institute
of Torah Seminary and
College (formerly Maalot) was excited to tell me about the programs that they
offer online. In addition to regular classes, they are offering the option of
taking all their programs online this year because of the pandemic. They are
set up to transition to all online classes at any time if it becomes necessary.
WITS is accredited, so
a student can earn a bachelor’s degree directly from them in Jewish studies,
Jewish education, and computer science. They also offer graphic design training
and a certificate in Jewish education leadership. WITS is approved by the U.S. Department
of Education as a Title IV school, which means that students can use
federal aid to pay for their tuition.
YIEP
For the last 16
years, Rabbi Pesach Lerner has been running the YIEP, Yeshiva Initiatives
Educational Programs, offering both bachelor’s and master’s programs through
Bellevue University in Omaha, Nebraska. Students can work towards any degree
that is offered at Bellevue
University. He has
special cohorts of frum Jews for certain programs, such as bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in mental health counseling, education leadership, and
business.
Rabbi Lerner
explained, “It is the personal relationship that I have built with the
president and staff of Bellevue
University that allows me
to create a program that is specially geared towards the frum community.
Because the students in our cohorts have done so well, I have become an asset
to the university. For example, we have a 90% graduation rate compared to the
average college graduation rate of only 50%. We have a highly-driven,
goal-oriented clientele. I have been able to help students turn their yeshiva
learning, semicha programs, seminary
learning, Hebrew speaking ability, and work experience into college credits
towards their bachelor’s degree. The cohorts allow the programs to be scheduled
around the Jewish holidays and to learn the material in an environment that is
sensitive to the frum student. None of our programs require SATs or
GREs.”
Rabbi Lerner
travels to Omaha
each year to spend time with the president and staff of the university. He
caters a special kosher breakfast for them from the kosher bagel store in Omaha. Over the years he
has developed a close relationship with many people there, which allows him to create
this program specifically for our community.
Rabbi Lerner encourages students who are interested to call him at 917-209-8204 to
see what can be worked out for them personally.
Touro College Graduate Degree of Education
Dr. Jeffry
Lichtman runs a unique dual online master’s degree in Jewish education and special
education through Touro
College. The goal of this
program is to prepare teachers to teach in our yeshivas with certification. He
trains teachers in how to teach Hebrew reading and how to help children who are
having difficulty learning how to read, and how teach gemara to different
levels of students. His program’s teachers understand the reality of today’s
children and today’s social and emotional climate. The program, which takes
about two years, is for both men and women, is completely online, and has
students from many places. Most of the students are already teaching.
Testing and Training International
TTI has many options for bachelor’s, master’s,
and other programs. Their motto is “careers without compromise.” Esti Neustadt,
director of marketing and development
for TTI, explained, “We don’t
compromise on anything. That includes hashkafa,
educational value, and monetary value.” TTI
is very careful about the Torah hashkafa
in their courses, even censoring some of the materials and study guides if they
deem it necessary.
They make sure their courses are of the
highest caliber and their prices the same or lower than comparable courses
offered elsewhere. Some TTI
courses are for men and women and some are only for women. They currently offer
master’s degrees in education, social work, ABA therapy, and speech therapy. They also
offer training in web design, photography, interior design, video editing, and
court reporting.
The opportunity to
become a professional in order to earn a good parnassa, without
compromising in Yiddishkeit, has opened the door wide for many students.
This is an example of something new that is positive, a change for the
better!
