PSU gets Judaic studies grant

By JEWISH REVIEW

article created on: 2010-02-17T00:00:00

Portland State University will be one of the beneficiaries of the Jewish Studies Expansion Program announced last month by the The Foundation for Jewish Culture.
    
FJC recently announced it has raised a total of $818,000 from two major philanthropic foundations, the Washington, D.C.-based Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation, to be used to further enhance Jewish studies. The funding comes at a time of increasing challenges for all humanities-based programs, including Jewish studies, at U.S. colleges and universities.
    
The funding has permitted the Jewish Studies Expansion Program to select six schools to receive matching 1:1 grants. These six colleges and universities, including some of the leading institutions in the country, will hire postdoctoral teaching fellows by spring 2010.
    
The FJC has selected the following institutions for its 2010-2012 cohort: UC Santa Cruz, Portland State University, University of Arizona, Oberlin College), Colgate University and Syracuse University.
    
A JSEP matching grant permits the hire of a two-year postdoctoral teaching fellow, who expands the number of courses offered and helps raise the profile of Jewish studies through cultural programs and other campus activities.
    
In selecting the schools who will comprise its 2010-2012 cohort, JSEP was drawn not only to the academic excellence of these six campuses, but also to their geographic diversity and the blend of smaller liberal arts colleges and larger public and private universities.