Brooklyn College Announces New Policy After Criticism Made by Rabbi

Brooklyn College, which has been accused of refusing transfer credits to yeshiva and seminary students, announced today a new examination of college policy on approval of such credits toward a college degree. Brooklyn College, which has a large Jewish enrollment, is a unit of the City University of New York. The announcement followed a charge by Rabbi Bernard Weinberger, president of Jewish Orthodox Youth, that Brooklyn College had shown “willful disregard of the policies of the City University of New York and callous neglect of the educational needs of Orthodox Jews.”

Rabbi Weinberger said that JOY, which he said operated under a special grant from the federal Department of Health, Education and Welfare, was seeking to have institutions of higher education grant credits to yeshiva and seminary students. He added that a number of private colleges and colleges which are part of CUNY had agreed to give a year or more of college credit for study beyond the high school level at the yeshivas and seminaries but that Brooklyn College had balked.

Rabbi Weinberger declared that more than 18 months ago, a special CUNY committee, under the chairmanship of Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, a leading Orthodox rabbi, had recommended that city colleges give “at least one year of transfer credit. Chancellor Robert J. Kibbee of CUNY accepted this committee report and sent it to presidents of the city colleges along with his recommendation that it be adopted. While there has been a favorable response from most CUNY institutions. Brooklyn College has failed to act despite repeated efforts” by JOY.

Under the presidency of John Kneller, Brooklyn College “has refused to give serious consideration to the Rackman report” and had instead “relied on spurious contentions that if it would grant transfer credits, it would risk loss of its accreditation,” Rabbi Weinberger stated. He said many outstanding universities do grant transfer credits and that Brooklyn College “has liberal policies regarding college credit for life ‘experiences’ which are more removed from education than is yeshiva study.”

COLLEGE MOVES IN TWO DIRECTIONS

Without referring to the JOY charges, the Brooklyn College statement said that Dr. Kneller had moved in two areas on the grant of transfer credits for such Judaic studies. Dr. Kneller said the Faculty Council of Brooklyn College, which he said had jurisdiction over all academic and curricular matters, had been asked to re-examine the issue of transfer credits and recommend a course of action. A source said the next meeting of the faculty council was scheduled in about two weeks, immediately after the current inter-session period between fall and spring semesters.

Secondly, Dr. Kneller said, the college’s Department of Judaic Studies was “presently investigating the quality of instruction and academic rigor at institutions of higher education that are not accredited but where students have asked for transfer credits.” He also disclosed plans for “advanced electives” in Talmudic studies in the department and to add an expert in Talmud to the college staff.

Dr. Kneller said that “the fact that Brooklyn College now has a Department of Judaic Studies makes possible a different means of earning college credits for Talmudic studies. Expanded course offerings on the Talmud are being submitted for approval by the appropriate college curriculum committee and graduates may apply for exemption examination.” He added that if such examinations were successfully completed, “this would make possible the granting of credits for specific courses which may be applied toward a degree at Brooklyn College.”

The statement pointed out that the Department of Judaic Studies had prepared a number of “advanced electives” in Talmudic studies in which students “might utilize the training received at yeshivot. It also planned to add a Talmudic expert to the Brooklyn College staff to assist with the problem of evaluation.” The college expressed the hope that through such efforts “a satisfactory conclusion may soon be reached.”