Office of the President
President Reinharz, Ph.D. '72, is the seventh president of Brandeis University, and the first graduate of the university to hold that position.
Read more about the Office of the President.
From the University President
Jehuda Reinharz, University President
Greetings to Graduate Professional Studies Students:
As you begin your studies within the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, I want to take this opportunity to welcome you into the Brandeis community. You may already have a sense of what a special place Brandeis is and the many ways in which you can contribute to our academic community. I’d like to give you some background about the University.
Brandeis University is the youngest private research university in the United States and is the only nonsectarian university in the nation founded by the American Jewish community. Brandeis is a testament to the power of its founders’ vision: an institution of higher learning with a special mission of equity and access. At the time of its founding in 1948, a time when discrimination was legally and socially sanctioned, Brandeis reinvigorated American education: no qualified applicant would be rejected because of religion or ancestry.
Named for the late associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Louis Dembitz Brandeis, the university enrolled its first class of 107 students in October 1948. Today, Brandeis hosts 5,000 students from over 100 countries around the world. With four schools and 36 research centers and institutes, Brandeis ranks within the top tier of private research universities in the world.
If you’ve taken some classes already within the Division of Graduate Professional Studies, you are likely aware that instructors work professionally in the field in which they teach, and in this way combine practice with theory. Ninety-five percent of the GPS instructors hold advanced degrees, and many students are seeking additional advanced degrees. Generally, students range in age from 25 to 55. Most are working professionals; many are balancing family obligations and careers.
Should you live close enough and have the time, I hope that you will take advantage of the many intellectual and cultural benefits offered to all Brandeis students: concerts, theater, exhibits, world-renowned speakers and a wide variety of multicultural events. To see what Brandeis is offering every day, visit BrandeisNow.
I wish you the best in your studies. I hope that you enjoy being part of the Brandeis community, and I look forward to celebrating with you at commencement.
Jehuda Reinharz
President