Latest News from Campus

Florida legislators Sen. Alexis Calatayud and Rep. Allison Tant are championing a bipartisan plan to enhance security and support for Jewish students at universities statewide. The Florida Hillels Jewish Student Safety Initiative would expand from three universities to seven, with an estimated reach of more than 25,000 Jewish college students. The program combines stronger safety improvements with education, relationships, and support services to help Jewish students feel connected, supported, and empowered.

Columbia University’s Board of Trustees selected University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to serve as the next president of the university, with her term beginning July 1. Mnookin, the university’s first Jewish leader in three decades, will take the helm following nearly two years of controversy over antisemitism and anti-Israel protests at the New York City campus. Brian Cohen, executive director of the Kraft Center for Jewish Life, Columbia’s Hillel, emphasized that despite recent challenges, Columbia maintains a strong Jewish community – and he expressed hope that Mnookin’s experience and leadership will help build on that foundation.

More than 150 Jewish faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania filed an amicus brief supporting the university’s response to a federal lawsuit involving the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Faculty members expressed concern over the scope of the EEOC’s subpoena requesting information about Jewish students, faculty, and groups, citing risks to safety, and the historical implications of collecting information about Jewish individuals.

Tessa Veksler, former student government president at the University of California, Santa Barbara, filed a federal lawsuit alleging the university failed to protect her from months of antisemitic harassment that began after she condemned the October 7, 2023 attacks. The complaint asserts that UCSB administrators did not intervene as harassment from other students — including hostile signage and threats — escalated, and that the university’s response worsened her situation.

University of Florida Hillel announced a seven‑figure gift from alumna Diane Lipson Schilit and Howard Schilit that will fund facility renovations and endowments supporting Jewish student life and programs. The Hillel will now be known as the Diane and Howard Schilit Hillel at the University of Florida. The gift comes as part of a broader campaign to strengthen Jewish community resources on campus and sustain rising engagement at a university with one of the largest Jewish student populations among public universities in the nation.

Jewish leaders expressed optimism following the appointment of Kent Syverud, chancellor and president of Syracuse University who was named the 16th president of the University of Michigan. He brings more than a decade of leadership experience at Syracuse and previous academic administration roles, including at Vanderbilt and Washington Universities.