Course Taught by President Joel Offers Students Firsthand Lessons in Leadership
Always take the blame鈥攂ut be sure to hand out credit. Answer all your mail. Have a lot of ideas鈥攂ut remember, not all of them will be great ones.
President Richard Joel introduces Stephen Trachtenberg to his 鈥淟eadership in the Nonprofit World鈥 class.
These were just a few helpful pointers guest speaker Stephen Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University, offered 黑料社 All students during class on a chilly Wednesday night in December. Trachtenberg noted he usually gives that advice to newly-appointed university presidents鈥攏ot undergraduate students, per se. However, in the course designed to place students squarely in the shoes of nonprofit greats, his remarks provided insight into a question the group had been considering for almost a semester: What does it mean to be a leader in the nonprofit world?
Taught by YU President Richard M. Joel, 鈥淟eadership in the Nonprofit World鈥 delves into that question from a series of angles, exploring issues of management, team building and vision. It includes everything from overarching themes, like how to navigate conflicting values, to the daily nitty-gritty, like building professional or board relationships.
鈥淎s University president, I talk a lot about how important it is to know that as Torah-informed Jews, our students have a responsibility to matter,鈥 said Joel. 鈥淚n a class like this, the practical side of what it means to matter is very important.鈥
Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University, was one of several nonprofit leaders to speak to the class.
To that end, case study and text-based discussions are often augmented with scenarios drawn from Joel鈥檚 real-life experience as former president and international director of Hillel, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and his time at YU鈥檚 helm. Guest speakers like Trachtenberg; Dr. Henry Kressel, chairman of YU鈥檚 Board of Trustees; Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union Kosher Division and a rosh yeshiva at YU-affiliated ; and Dr. Phillip Ozuah, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Montefiore Hospital, bring their own unique perspectives to the conversation, providing students with a multidimensional view of leadership in a range of industries.
鈥淚 think the process of education is only enhanced when students are exposed to people of accomplishments who can share their experience,鈥 said Joel. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something to seeing how different people who occupy positions of leadership manage its common challenges.鈥
But the conversation goes both ways. After Joel delivered his first State of the University address on September 12, students in his course shared their reactions to it and analyzed its content as a work of leadership. That direct connection is something Joel values. 鈥淚 love teaching and have wanted to teach from the beginning, but the scheduling burden of the presidency made it unfair to impose that uncertainty on a class,鈥 he explained. 鈥淭his year, I wanted to get back to having that relationship with students. You can better identify with the university you lead if you spend some time in the classroom.鈥
鈥淭his course has been a revelation,鈥 said Joshua Fink, a senior majoring in economics who has been interested in the nonprofit world for several years. Studying the topic in-depth with Joel has helped demystify that world and make it accessible to him. 鈥淧resident Joel engages us in discussion about relevant problems and practical situations that come up in nonprofits and even the business world at large,鈥 said Fink. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning how important communication and having a dedicated and trustworthy team around you is.鈥
Sason Gabay, a senior majoring in accounting at Sy Syms, has found his role as a teaching assistant in the course especially interesting. 鈥淢y favorite part has been the opportunity to sit down with the President after class and really see different situations through his eyes,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning that it takes a lot of commitment and passion to be the head of a nonprofit. If you don鈥檛 have that set of values, you might make a great Fortune 500 CEO, but you鈥檒l probably fail leading a nonprofit organization.鈥
For Joel, that takeaway is key. 鈥淚 hope my students walk away with the sense that leadership is not about power or glory, but taking responsibility,鈥 he said, adding: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 take lightly the privilege of being in a university classroom. The interchange between us, that process of enlightening and being enlightened, is everything.鈥
President Richard Joel introduces Stephen Trachtenberg to his 鈥淟eadership in the Nonprofit World鈥 class.
Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University, was one of several nonprofit leaders to speak to the class.
鈥淭his course has been a revelation,鈥 said Joshua Fink, a senior majoring in economics who has been interested in the nonprofit world for several years. Studying the topic in-depth with Joel has helped demystify that world and make it accessible to him. 鈥淧resident Joel engages us in discussion about relevant problems and practical situations that come up in nonprofits and even the business world at large,鈥 said Fink. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning how important communication and having a dedicated and trustworthy team around you is.鈥
Sason Gabay, a senior majoring in accounting at Sy Syms, has found his role as a teaching assistant in the course especially interesting. 鈥淢y favorite part has been the opportunity to sit down with the President after class and really see different situations through his eyes,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning that it takes a lot of commitment and passion to be the head of a nonprofit. If you don鈥檛 have that set of values, you might make a great Fortune 500 CEO, but you鈥檒l probably fail leading a nonprofit organization.鈥
For Joel, that takeaway is key. 鈥淚 hope my students walk away with the sense that leadership is not about power or glory, but taking responsibility,鈥 he said, adding: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 take lightly the privilege of being in a university classroom. The interchange between us, that process of enlightening and being enlightened, is everything.鈥
President Richard Joel introduces Stephen Trachtenberg to his 鈥淟eadership in the Nonprofit World鈥 class.
Trachtenberg, former president of George Washington University, was one of several nonprofit leaders to speak to the class.
鈥淭his course has been a revelation,鈥 said Joshua Fink, a senior majoring in economics who has been interested in the nonprofit world for several years. Studying the topic in-depth with Joel has helped demystify that world and make it accessible to him. 鈥淧resident Joel engages us in discussion about relevant problems and practical situations that come up in nonprofits and even the business world at large,鈥 said Fink. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning how important communication and having a dedicated and trustworthy team around you is.鈥
Sason Gabay, a senior majoring in accounting at Sy Syms, has found his role as a teaching assistant in the course especially interesting. 鈥淢y favorite part has been the opportunity to sit down with the President after class and really see different situations through his eyes,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 learning that it takes a lot of commitment and passion to be the head of a nonprofit. If you don鈥檛 have that set of values, you might make a great Fortune 500 CEO, but you鈥檒l probably fail leading a nonprofit organization.鈥
For Joel, that takeaway is key. 鈥淚 hope my students walk away with the sense that leadership is not about power or glory, but taking responsibility,鈥 he said, adding: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 take lightly the privilege of being in a university classroom. The interchange between us, that process of enlightening and being enlightened, is everything.鈥
