The Sayings of Chairman Joe or Some General Guidelines and Principles for Running Jewish Studies Programs or Activities

VoLume 9. No.4 Summer 1991 121 As part of the presentation at the MJSA Coriference, Joseph Haberer and Sam Shermis of Purdue University put together a workshop entitled "How to Start, Run, and Direct a Jewish Studies Program." Ifyou would like to order these materials, please write to Professor Haberer at the address in the front of the journal, and enclose a check for $4.00 made out to "Shofar." The following essay is part of the workshop packet. The Sayings of Chairman Joe or Some General Guidelines and Principles for Running Jewish Studies Programs or Activities Joseph Haberer Purdue University 1. Whatever advice or suggestions are offered, remember that there are no hard-and-fast rules. Advice mustbe geared to your situation, implemented on the basis of your experience, and dependent primarily on your good judgment. 2. Size is a critical factor. What you can or cannot do depends heavily on the type of institution in which you operate-small, medium-sized, or large; private or public-and on the existing infrastructure pertaining to Jewish Studies. Therefore, start by canvassing the existing situation. In a small institution, there may be even more support for Jewish Studies than you had imagined. 3. Start modestly, but don't be afraid to think big. It helps to have some kind of vision of what might be possible in the long run. Your vision, shared by colleagues, will enable you to keep going when there are obstacles and disappointments . It will also communicate itself to others, especially to potential patrons. Your imagination and enthusiasm are probably the key factors in generating support for a program or for other kinds of Jewish Studies activities . 4. Whether or not you start a program depends in part on your location. It is not necessary to create a program for there to be a Jewish Studies presence in your institution. Modest initial efforts may generate momentum to go on to bigger things. 122 SHOFAR 5. You and your colleagues need good ideas to render the program viable,' sufficient time and resources to make things work, and energy to accomplish the goals. All of these-ideas, time, resources, and energy-are relatively scarce commodities. Your scarcest items will probably be time and energy. The measure of commitment is likely to depend on how much of these are available. 6. The more these are harnessed, the more likely it is that you will be able to form a program with the requisite support structure-staff, budget, money-to make a program viable. Do not forget that your colleagues have plenty of other obligations, and while they may be supportive, they may not be inclined or able to give very much commitment. Do not overcommit your supporters. Delegate and share responsibilities. 7. Your program will be interdisciplinary, but the reward structure in the university and college typically is disciplinary. Therefore, do not expect to be rewarded for efforts or for your program. Your rewards will have to be intrinsic-you do it because it needs doing and because you want to do it. And you want to do it because you derive considerable intellectual stimuation and satisfaction from promoting Jewish Studies. 8. Keep in mind that colleagues working towards tenure and promotion, while often the most enthusiastic, are also the most vulnerable. Don't expect too much from them. Try to get the associate and full professors to work with you-no easy eask either-and be ready for disappointments. Sometimes you identify such faculty members who do research or teaching in the field and whom you would expect to be most involved in a Jewish Studies program. But they do the least and demonstrate almost total indifference. Be of stout heart. You will manage without them. 9. Initially you will depend completely on a volunteer faculty for the teaching of some courses, probably on an overload basis, and for running, i.e., administering, the program itself. Find kindred souls, with whom you can work. If the activities increase sufficiently to warrant the hiring of part-time or full-time staff-secretaries, clerks, program or research assistants, word processors-you will need to give attention to finding the necessary...