Summer Institute

SI 2023 

Futurism: How Educators Can Lead in the 21st Century

Fu·tur·ism:/ˈfyo͞oCHəˌrizəm/ noun, concern with events and trends of the future, or which anticipate the future.

Summer Institute 2023 invites the Gratz community to imagine themselves as futurists. As educators and professionals, our work and the way we interact with others will continue to evolve. Our curriculums and necessary leadership skills will change. Our environments and modes of delivery will be different. Are you prepared? 

Gratz has always embraced technology, pedagogical innovation, multimedia engagement, and alternative approaches to the delivery of education and training future leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that we all must be ready for action when a crisis strikes. Challenges to library books and curriculums, climate events, threats of violence, and campus protests are all very much a part of our realities as educators and leaders. We have also seen strong support for teachers, an increase in donations to colleges, and a rise in student advocacy. 

From climate change and sustainability to new modes of leadership and the fight for equity and against antisemitism, we have invited a diverse group of speakers to lend their vision on the future of education and how we can be leaders in the 21st century.

A portion of Summer Institute 2023 was made possible by alumna Miriam R. Grossmann, M.A. Jewish Studies, 1988; Bachelor Of Hebrew Literature, 1951

register for public programs

Workshops

These 30-60 mins workshops and presentations will cover a variety of topics on how we will work and learn in the future.

Check the schedule on the top right of this page for dates and times.

• Reading Rebecca: the future of digital humanities using the letters of Rebecca Gratz with Nina Warnke and Julie Fisher
  • Join two of the editors of the Rebecca Gratz Digital Collection to explore the world of this important 19th-century leader of Jewish education. Discover the international efforts dedicated towards transcribing manuscripts. In this 75-minute workshop, the editors will introduce the practice of transcribing through a hands-on experience with one of Rebecca’s letters and offer a glimpse into the educational possibilities for learners in today’s classroom as well as opportunities for those interested in joining community-driven public service.
• Sustainability, Climate Change, and Higher Education, with SI guest Bryan Alexander
• The Hebrew Language of the Future with Dina Maiben
• The Future is Feminist: Using feminist informed practice to increase women’s visibility as leaders with Donna Guerin
  • For decades women have outpaced men academically in elementary and secondary school and now enroll in and graduate from college in higher numbers than men, yet often face the "glass ceiling" when it comes to workplace advancement and recognition. This presentation confronts long-held beliefs about power and value, as well as the covert systems that impede women's progress within the established order. A fresh perspective on leadership and power challenges organizations to take risks in practicing transformative feminist leadership.
• Picturing the Future: Cartoon representations of education’s future with Philip Moore
  • From newspapers to TV, cartoons have always been an engaging way to imagine the future. This presentation will present some fun examples of cartoons specifically picturing the future of education, from across the 20th Century. Come discuss what they tell us about our relationship to technology, and consider the ways that potential and fears may mirror our contemporary predications about AI's impact.