How do you welcome students and faculty back to campus when campus is everywhere and nowhere?
That is the challenge facing many college campuses this fall and one that the Institute approached as university plans shifted and we adapted to going solely virtual.
In a normal year, we would welcome students and faculty at a series of events.
Our graduate students and faculty would meet for a welcome back wine and cheese event in our home at 617 Kent Hall to learn about summer research, new findings, and meet adjuncts and new students.
We would welcome new undergraduates at the Academic Resource Fair, a way for students to learn about all of Columbia’s offerings and academic experiences. We would then invite these students and other undergraduates to our Undergraduate Open House where we would serve shakshuka and learn about each student, their interest in Israel and Jewish Studies and their hopes for their undergraduate careers.
So how did we adapt? Like everyone else we Zoomed. From graduate students, we learned about researching in the midst of the pandemic, new ventures, and we welcomed the 2020 Rabin-Shvidler Postdoctoral Fellow, Alon Tam.
And Undergraduates virtually visited the Institute from Kenya, to the Jersey Shore and Morningside Heights. We even had the chance to hear from Michelle Chesner, the Norman E. Alexander Jewish Studies Librarian, who will continue to be a resource for all students and faculty as she actively works to make the collection even more accessible for the Columbia community.
As we progress into the semester, it is inspiring to see how faculty and students are adapting and figuring out ways to make university life accessible even when we can’t be physically together.