Academic Enrichment Opportunities

One of the most valuable aspects of attending a small college is the assurance that you will be receiving individual guidance and encouragement in pursuing your educational goals. At Stern College for Women, this benefit is manifest both within and beyond the classroom, the beit midrash, the labs and the studios. Student-faculty interactions inevitably lead to meaningful discussions and creative projects that can be truly transforming. Below you will find descriptions of some special enrichment program that have developed over the years, largely in response to student interest and faculty initiatives. Some are directed at a particular major interest. Others are open to all.  You are encouraged to look at each of them as one way to explore how you might take advantage of the full benefits of being at Stern College.

General Enrichment

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program

The S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program is built upon the premise that outstanding scholars should be brought together, challenged and encouraged to excel. The program nurtures students as it helps them to grow intellectually and personally in academic and extracurricular outlets. The academic program stresses writing and critical analysis, research, and individual mentoring. In their final three semesters, honor students each complete a senior project under the individual guidance of a faculty mentor. Each semester the Honors Program calendar includes a speakers series, leadership workshops and an exciting array of outings to operas, plays, museums and other cultural destinations. Students completing the Honors Program have the Honors distinction noted on their transcript and diplomas.

Dean’s Scholars Program

Dean’s Scholars, selected by the Admissions Committee, receive academic scholarships, are invited to special receptions and lectures, are eligible to take honors level courses and have the benefit of a specially designated academic advisor in the Dean’s Office. Students are chosen for this honor on the basis of past academic achievement and leadership potential.  Incoming Dean's Scholars are the first offered the opportunity to participate in the Frontiers Programs.

Kressel Grant

The Henry Kressel Research Scholarship Program offers juniors and seniors the opportunity for a yearlong intensive research project under the direct supervision of a senior faculty member. The scholars receive a stipend for the year, along with travel money and appropriate research-support. Following their research tenure, Kressel Scholars present their projects to the student body to simulate a larger intellectual discussion on their topics.

Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought

Under the direction of Dr. Meir Soloveichik, the center will offer students fellowships, tutorials, seminars and travel abroad options to explore the great moral, philosophical and theological questions of our age and to engage with leading thinkers both in the United States and in Israel.

Specialized Programs

The Katz Scholarship for Jewish Educators

The Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz Scholarships for Jewish Educators provide substantial tuition support for students preparing for careers in Jewish education as part of the Legacy Heritage Jewish Educators Project at Stern College for Women.

Students major in Judaic studies with a Concentration in Jewish Education. Coursework includes classes in Judaic studies, methodology courses and student teaching. During the senior year, students take courses at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration of and may be enrolled in an accelerated program toward earning an MS degree.

All scholarship recipients complete a major in Jewish studies, and will receive tuition support in the amount of $20,000 per year in the form of grants and forgivable loans, renewable for three years on campus in New York. Loans will be forgiven on a prorated basis, post-graduation, over the first two years in the field.

Katz Scholars will be chosen on a competitive basis. The selection committee will consider high school and post-high school Israel records, letters of recommendation and evidence of interest in and talent for a career in Jewish education.  After completing the regular application for admission to , applicants should complete the Mordecai D. and Monique C. Katz Scholarship for Jewish Educators Application.

Jewish Foundation for Education of Women

SCW partners with Jewish Foundation for Education of Women (JFEW) and offers the Jewish Foundation for Education of Women Science Fellowships. Recipients of the JFEW Fellowship receive $10,000 scholarship support for each of three years. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in summer research internships for which they receive a stipend, attend and present research at national and international science conferences, receive one-on-one mentoring by Stern science faculty and participate in lectures and workshops on topics addressing leadership training, career development and academic success.

Anne Scheiber Scholarship to the Albert Einstein School of Medicine

Benefactor Anne Scheiber believed in the mission of : to apply the best of Torah values and Western knowledge to serving the community at large. Before she died in 1995, she established the Anne Scheiber Scholarship Fund for financially and academically deserving Jewish women studying at Stern College for Women and Albert Einstein College of Medicine “who have indicated their desire to assist in the development of humanity, and alleviate pain and suffering.” Scholarships up to full tuition are awarded to graduates of Stern College for Women entering Albert Einstein College of Medicine who require financial assistance. Scholarships will be given out each year to qualified students with the amount based on the student’s need.

SERC Fellowship

The Stern Einstein Research Connection Program, created by Stern College alumnae attending the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, provides a student between her sophomore and junior years with an introductory summer research experience at the medical school. In addition to arranging for the research experience, the SCW alumnae mentor the SERC Fellow as she acclimates to a major research environment. Selected students receive a stipend and are eligible for summer housing at the medical school campus.

Frontiers in Biomedical Science, Contemporary American Law and Psychology

Competitively-selected first time on campus Dean's Scholars and other undergraduates participate in Friday morning sessions at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, or Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology. The program aims to expose students to a spectrum of fields and specialties within each discipline, introduce students to top researchers and scholars, and provide a taste of the graduate school experience.

The Professor Thomas Otway Memorial Scholarship

Established to honor the memory of the beloved Chairman of the Stern College for Women Mathematical Sciences Department, this is for students committed to a major in computer science. In order to be eligible to apply, the student must have been admitted to the S. Daniel Abraham Honors Program Early Decision or have been admitted to the Program regular decision with a minimum academic scholarship of $20,000. The Professor Thomas Otway Memorial Scholarship of $5,000 per year for up to three years is in addition to the other merit scholarship award the student has received. Applications should be submitted in the year prior to matriculation at Stern College. The scholarship cannot be deferred, and the awardee must matriculate at Stern in a Fall semester.

External Fellowships

SCW students are encouraged to apply for national and international competitive scholarships and fellowships. For more information, click here to go to the Career Center, or contact Dr. Betty Sugarman at betty.sugarman@yu.edu