friendsofHUC

"...there is a sneaking suspicion among many, myself included, that this plan is merely the first step in closing down or selling off the Cincinnati campus altogether. The proposed plans for the campus are completely unserious." tabletmag.com/sections/commu…

"“The Attorney General is responsible for ensuring that charities honor the intent of benefactors and serve the interest of intended beneficiaries,” said the letter from Daniel Fausey, chief of the AG’s Charitable Law Section, to four college officials."

Apparently, we're not the only ones who think something fishy is going on here... wcpo.com/news/local-new…

@RogueRav Transparent is just about the last word anyone who knows President Rehfeld would use to describe him.

@FriendsofHuc Secretly killing a historic campus is hardly the way to "honor our history," and exhibit a "transparent model of leadership."

On March 14th, 16th, and 20th, President Rehfeld and Provost Weiss held sessions with Alumni about the proposal to close Cincinnati’s rab program. Alumni were told "we’ll be recording the presentation and Q&A portions of the town halls and making a recording available afterwards

They've been asked multiple times about the omission in closed Facebook groups (and were tagged in posts asking about it) and have not responded. No doubt, they've seen the questions. This is just unacceptable, with the vote a mere week away.

It took them a while, but they finally released the recordings... almost three weeks later. Not just that, but they edited out all the Q&A segments, where alumni voiced their concerns about the plan. Things like this are why people have trouble trusting.

Worth noting the significance. Nearly 10% of HUC living alum agree that "This plan has already alienated...alumni, who not only support [HUC], but are also instrumental in identifying, nurturing, and recruiting potential students, governors, and sources of philanthropic support."

The link to sign is here: bit.ly/HUCsignature.

Want to help prevent HUC from closing the Cinci rab program and causing irreparable harm to American Jewry? Read this letter signed by over 350 HUC alumni: bit.ly/HUCAlumni. Then, get to work. Find an HUC alum you know not on the list of signers, and get them to sign on!

The letter is signed by almost 300 alumni and says, in part,'Faculty and rabbis in the field, who have thought long and hard about options for the College Institute,have been sidelined without serious consideration when they offer alternative approaches to the current proposal.'"

wvxu.org/education/2022… "Washofsky and other alumni recognize the financial problems the college is facing, but they said in a public letter to the institution that the school has not done its due diligence of considering other cost-cutting measures that could be taken instead.

Aside from the potential future irreparable harm to the resources and community in Cincinnati, the admin is doing irreparable harm NOW to a community (alum) it relies on for fundraising and attracting future students.

Last night, HUC admin spoke to rabbis at the CCAR conference in San Diego. It was a contentious meeting, and probably didn't change many minds either way. What is clear, though, is that this process' many flaws have fractured HUC's alumni community, including rabbis.

Nearly fifteen prospective students in Cincinnati for an open house today! Despite the narrative that the campus is "dead wood" (the provost's actual words to the BOG), the campus is anything alive and buzzing 🌞

@saveHUC @HUCJIR When asked by alumni about the plan's financials, Rehfeld indicated that they exist, but that he would not be willing to share them. Not sure why the reports stopped coming out. But the poor fundraising under Rehfeld's tenure surely can't be helping.

@FriendsofHuc @HUCJIR Have any financials been released for this plan? Why haven't any financials been reported for the past few years?

jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/pittsburgh-rab… "Weisblatt said that he met with a representative from Morgan Lewis in 2021, when the firm was hired to investigate allegations of misconduct at HUC-JIR.

Again, Washofsky may not have named names during his speech. However, the actions are documented and the actors/actions were known to most in attendance.

Likewise, documents authored by faculty members in December (which I'm happy to share, @AndrewLapin) note that "[LA Dean Josh] Holo and [Pres] Rehfeld... conducted negotiations...regarding the possible off-loading of our library operations to the University of Cincinnati."

jta.org/2022/03/25/uni… A good article overall. Only a couple quibbles.