In a move that will sharply expand Jewish educational opportunities in South Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and Hebrew College are initiating a collaboration between the two academic institutions.

President David M. Gordis and NSU President Ray Ferrero Jr. will inaugurate the new relationship at a signing ceremony at Nova Southeastern's Fort Lauderdale campus in late January.

Nova Southeastern enrolls more than 25,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students and is the largest independent institution of higher education in the Southeastern US. The university provides academic programs in preschool, primary and secondary education among a wide range of professional specializations, as well as extensive distance learning opportunities.

The Hebrew College/Nova Southeastern collaborative will offer undergraduate courses in Jewish studies to NSU students beginning in the spring 2006 semester and provide Me'ah and other learning opportunities to the South Florida community. In addition, Hebrew College and NSU will offer professional training for Jewish early childhood and day school educators. Building on the Hebrew College model for the Interreligious Center on Public Life and the National Center for Jewish Policy Studies, the collaborative will launch a new institute based in South Florida, the Center for Public Policy and Religion.

The Center's inaugural symposium, The Changing Tapestry of Religion in America, will immediately follow the presidential signing ceremony. Guest speakers will include President Gordis, Andover Newton President Nick Carter, and Dr. Sherman A. Jackson, professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

The collaboration, which has been under discussion between the two institutions for a year, is expected to make NSU a center for Jewish education and learning in South Florida.

"We are delighted with this partnership," said Gordis. "It will bring together Hebrew College's leadership in Jewish education and NSU's considerable academic resources." "Building on the strengths of both institutions, we will work together to widen access to Jewish education for thousands of students and enhance Jewish life in South Florida."

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