“The University of Akron is continually growing. Whether it is building a football stadium on campus or adding more green space to make the campus more enjoyable and presentable, Akron is always expanding. UA’s latest upgrade is a partnership with The Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies, formerly the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies.”
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The University of Akron is continually growing. Whether it is building a football stadium on campus or adding more green space to make the campus more enjoyable and presentable, Akron is always expanding. UA’s latest upgrade is a partnership with The Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Judaic Studies, formerly the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies.

The Laura and Alvin Siegal College of Jewish studies mission is to promote the study of Judaism by transmitting the best of classical Jewish learning and modern scholarship. It prepares Jewish educators and other communal professionals, facilitates the Jewish journey of adult learners, serves as the Jewish higher education resource to the community and provides a common ground for people of diverse backgrounds.

Siegal College offers one of the largest graduate programs in Jewish education, provides the largest adult continuing Jewish education programs in Cleveland, and is the national leader in Jewish distance learning. It is located in Beachwood, Ohio and the college’s Web site is www.siegalcollege.edu. The goal of the partnership is to offer broader opportunities and services to students and faculty at both institutions.

Because of the University of Akron’s diverse course offerings and Siegal College’s extensive offerings in Jewish studies, the Hebrew language and education, we believe this collaboration will be beneficial for students at both institutions, says Dr. Elizabeth Stroble, UA’s senior vice president, provost and chief operating officer.

Dr. Brian Amkraut, Siegal College provost says, We hope to create a long-term partnership that can continue to grow. This partnership will allow UA education students to enhance their course load with classes from Siegal College, which will take a look at Judaism as it relates to education. It will also open their eyes to a variety of Judaic studies courses. Graduate students from Siegal College will have access to UA College of Education graduate courses. The Critical Language Consortium (CLC) combines the resources of several regional colleges and universities to provide education in languages such as Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Farsi, and with the addition of Siegal College, Hebrew.

Other colleges and universities involved in the CLC are John Carroll University, Lakeland University, Lake Erie College, Ursuline College, Notre Dame College and Hiram College. Ken Torisky of UA was uncomfortable answering questions on the new partnership. A follow up will be done at a later date when, Holly Harris Bane, UA’s associate vice president for strategic initiatives and engagement, can be contacted.

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