Scholarships, Awards, and Certifications

Recently several graduates of our Human Services Administration and Nonprofit Management masters program were awarded Association Workforce Diversity Scholarships by the Association Forum of Chicagoland. Of the six scholarships awarded this year, four went to Spertus graduates: Anita Hollins (October 2004 cohort), Diane Brantley (August 2004 cohort), Billie Poe (October 2003 cohort), and Julie Harden Sumpter (September 1998 cohort).

A Master of Science in Nonprofit Management student, Steven Solomon, has received a Disney's Animal Kingdom Diversity Advancement Award through the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums and will travel to Wheeling, West Virginia in early 2007 to attend a week-long graduate program on Effective Program Design for Conservation Education.

Service

A number of Jewish Studies students have recently accepted important communal and professional service positions. MSJE student Iris Schwartz is chairing the Thirty-Second Conference of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE), to be held in St. Louis this summer with a special focus on "Engaging 21st-Century Jewish Learners: New ideas for the way we live and learn now." DSJS student (and MSJS alumnus) Max Preschel is serving as second Vice President of CAIV, the umbrella organization of the Venezuelan Jewish community. MSJS student Laurel Wolfson serves as President of the Association of Jewish Libraries (for which Joy Kingsolver, Director of the Chicago Jewish Archives at Spertus' Asher Library serves as Parliamentarian).

MSJS student Dr. Stuart I. Forman was named The Standard-Times New Bedford Man of the Year for 2006 for his work at the Greater New Bedford Community Health Center (where he is President and CEO). The award recognizes Dr. Forman's important public service and his new initiatives, such as the creation of the Clerical Advisory Council.

Further Academic Study and Work

Many students continue to be involved in academics. Harvey Luber (MSJS alumnus) is teaching in the Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Liberal Studies Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Nina Perlmutter (MSJS student) is now a rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles. Jodi Kornfeld (DSJS student and MSJS alumna) has begun studies as a rabbinic candidate at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

MSHSA/MSNM students Denise Brown, Sherry Hunter and Laura Robson have all recently begun doctoral studies—Denise is pursuing an Ed.D. at Argosy Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Sherry an Ed.D. at DePaul University, and Laura an Ed.D. at Argosy University. Several MSHSA/MSNM students recently earned their doctorates: Yvonne Hipps-Cisco, James Collum, and Wytress Richardson.

In the Media

Leslie David Baker, Master of Science in Human Services Administration (MSHSA) alumnus, has made it in Hollywood. He plays Stanley Hudson on NBC's The Office. Before appearing on the small screen, Leslie worked in various Chicago City Departments, including the Department of Health (AIDS Program and Policy).

Jewish Studies student (MSJS) and world-renowned violinist Zina Schiff recently released her new CD, showcasing her violin performance of works by David Hush, a Jewish composer living in Australia. Max Preschel collaborated on the book Exilio a la Vida, a collection of testimonies of Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives in Venezuela. In addition, Max has published articles in Nuevo Mundo Israelita, a local Jewish community newspaper. MSJS student Eli Kavon teaches a wide range of courses in Jewish history and culture at educational institutions across South Florida and has authored numerous articles for local, regional and national Jewish publications.

Finally, DSJS student (and MSJS alumnus) Ron Eisenberg published his fourth Judaica-related book, The Streets of Jerusalem (Devora Press in Israel). In this book Ron provides explanations of more than 1,400 street names, and in doing so shares fascinating information about Jewish historical figures, including those who played an important role in the development of the modern State of Israel.

Spertus serves as an important focal point for the activities of our students and alumni, and is part of a vibrant circle of practitioner-scholars who are helping improve the lives of people around the globe. We are extremely proud of the achievements of all our students and alumni, and of the contributions they make to their communities.

If you would like to share your own accomplishments or tell us about those of others, please send a note to Nadia Whiteside at nwhiteside@spertus.edu. While we may not be able to list everything, we will try to share news of important achievements of members of the Spertus community.

With best wishes,

Dean Phillip Bell, Ph.D.
Dean and Chief Academic Officer