From the Dean's Desk

I am pleased to welcome you to one small corner of The Graduate School, "From the Dean's Desk"! This space will be a rotating miscellany of items from and about The Graduate School. The contents will vary periodically, so be sure to come back to this site from time to time.

Sometimes, you'll be able to hear what our extraordinary students are saying or doing; at other times you may read about an upcoming conference or new project. On occasion you'll be able to share your thinking in response to a survey question, get a peek into issues The Graduate School Faculty Committee is debating, or read about an event planned by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO). This space will sometimes provide a link to resources of interest to graduate students and at other times will explore the activities of one academic department or program within The Graduate School.

Here, for instance, is a brief video of the Graduate School student speaker, Dr. Edna Friedberg, from this year's Commencement Exercises, May 17, 2007

During the year you will be exposed to students, faculty, members of The Graduate School administration, The Graduate School Advisory Council, and academic colleagues from other institutions. You will read about, hear, and see The Graduate School in action, and I hope you will contribute to our vibrant academic community, as well.

For starters, I want to introduce myself and the rest of The Graduate School Dean's Office staff:

Dr. Stephen Garfinkel, in addition to serving as dean of The Graduate School, has been on the faculty of JTS in the Department of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages for over twenty-five years. He also serves as dean of academic affairs for all five schools of JTS. After receiving his BA from the University of Pennsylvania (shortly after its founding by Ben Franklin), and rabbinic ordination from JTS, he received his PhD from Columbia University.

Dr. Bruce Nielsen has served as assistant dean since 1996. He is also director of JTS's Summer Sessions and an adjunct assistant professor of Ancient Judaism at JTS. After receiving his BA from Midland Lutheran College and a master's of divinity from Union Theological Seminary, Dr. Nielsen earned his MA in Talmud and his PhD in Ancient Judaism from The Graduate School of JTS. His current research interests include Greek papyrology and Daniel Bomberg, an influential sixteenth-century printer of Hebrew books. Sometimes referred to as "that tall guy with the ponytail," Dr. Nielsen supervises most aspects of The Graduate School doctoral programs, nonmatriculated students (i.e., students taking courses not toward a degree), and our "Excellence in Teaching Program."

Dr. Maud Kozodoy, assistant dean, has just begun her tenure as assistant dean and also as assistant professor of Jewish Literature at JTS. Dr. Kozodoy received her BA in Physics from Princeton University and then, from The Graduate School, received an MA in Interdepartmental Studies (a program she now advises) and her PhD in Medieval Jewish Studies. After completing her dissertation about the fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Spanish philosopher Profiat Duran, Dr. Kozodoy served as a Dorot Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University. Now returned to JTS, she will be teaching two exciting new courses this year—Body and Soul: Medicine and Medieval Jews, and Science and Scripture: Jewish Approaches. Dr. Kozodoy will be supervising The Graduate School MA programs—including the special MA Society of Fellows—and recruitment and admissions (in the future you will meet the admissions staff, Alayne Birnhak and Jonathan Perkins), as well as expanding our outreach to alumni.

Ms. Elian Rosenfeld, executive assistant, has also just joined The Graduate School staff, having recently graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in Jewish Studies and History, concentrating in early-modern European history. Ms. Rosenfeld spent this past winter and spring living near the university in Tel Aviv, enjoying the life of an American in Israel. Elian has also had experience working in retail, which you will see evidenced by the wonderful reception she offers all who enter The Graduate School Office.

The one constant feature of this page is that it will always offer you a glimpse into varied parts of the whole. Taken together, the many components you will find here, over time, are going to give you a sense of a school that is multifaceted though focused, rigorous, and enjoyable: The Graduate School!

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephen Garfinkel
Walter and Sarah Schlesinger Dean, The Graduate School of The Jewish Theological Seminary

Dr. Stephen Garfinkel