Barry M. Gittlen was named acting president of Baltimore Hebrew University in June after the resignation of former President Rela Mintz Geffen. A 35-year member of the faculty, Gittlen started at Baltimore Hebrew University as an assistant professor of biblical and archaeological studies in 1972 and eventually was promoted to associate and then full professor. He has served as director of the Joseph Meyerhoff Library, as graduate dean and as dean for academic affairs.

Gittlen received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Monteith College at Wayne State University in Michigan and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Oriental Studies.

Q Why should students pursue Jewish studies?

A The advantage is to understand the Jewish world, what makes Jews, and why and how we do what we do. If done properly, it eradicates stereotypes and builds a true picture. That goes not just for Jewish studies but for studying any ethnic group or religion. It behooves us to really understand the foundations of who we are and how we got here — and the mistakes we made along the way to hopefully avoid those mistakes [in the future]. It’s always essential to know who are you and where you come from.

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Q BHU’s population is a majority of graduate students. What master’s degrees do you offer?

A We offer a master’s in Jewish studies, Jewish communal service, Jewish education, and we offer a Ph.D. in Jewish studies. We have joint programs with other institutions with several degrees. We have arrangements with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the Johns Hopkins University, Goucher College and Loyola College in which they offer master’s degrees. We produce a student who has a fixed expertise.

Q Do you plan to keep undergraduate students at BHU?

A We still provide a kind of completer degree for people who come to us, for instance, with an associate’s degree. We offer a bachelor’s degree in Jewish studies.

Q What field does the majority of your graduates go into?

A Essentially, it’s the broad field of Jewish studies. Then it

depends on what students want to do with that — whether they

want to serve the community in a kind of business profile, or if they want to do it as an educator in primary or secondary schools, or if they want to go strictly into

academics.

Q BHU’s most recent president, Rela Mintz Geffen, stepped down this summer. What kind of president do you want to succeed her?

A We decided that it was in our best interest to find a president who can do major fundraising, and that’s what we are looking for.

Q How will the decision of BHU’s major donor, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, to cut funding affect the university?

A They are cutting their funding over a period of five years, and that gives us time to find the kind of major donors that we need not only to cover what The Associated will not be giving us, but to go beyond that, so that in the very near future we will be able to find a better facility or build a facility and grow the student body.

Q The Associated will take over the university’s current location by 2010. As you look for a new location, do you plan to stay in Baltimore?

A We don’t know. We are considering a variety of options, and it depends on where we think our best interests lie. We want to stay in Baltimore. We’ve been in Baltimore for almost 90 years, and we feel a connection to Baltimore and to the Baltimore community. We would love to stay.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

» Dr. Eyal Bor, education director, Beth El Congregation Baltimore

» Jon Cardin, Maryland House of Delegates, 11th District; criminal defense lawyer

» Jerry Kiewe, program director, JCC of Greater Baltimore; educational director, Columbia Jewish Community School

» Dennis M. Kirschbaum, associate vice president for administration, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, Washington

» Nancy Kutler, vice president, The Center for Funds and Foundations, The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore

» Louis A. Nagel, education director, Congregation Beth El, Bethesda

» Peggy Pearlstein, area specialist, Hebraic Section, Library of Congress, Washington

» Leslie Pomerantz, executive director, Jewish Volunteer Connection

FAST FACTS

» Founded: 1919

» Enrollment (fall 2006): 34 undergraduate, 82 graduate

» Undergraduate tuition, fees: $1,400 per 3-credit course

» Graduate tuition, fees: $1,725 per 3-credit course

» Joint education: BHU offers programs with Goucher College and Villa Julie College

» The Me’ah program: BHU’s 100-hour lifelong learning program is popular with adult learners

» BHU’s Joseph Meyerhoff Library is the largest independent Judaica library in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions

Source: Baltimore Hebrew University, Maryland Higher Education Commission

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com

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