The Certificate in Jewish Leadership

Sponsored by Northwestern University School of Continuing Studies and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

Overview
The Certificate in Jewish Leadership is dedicated to transforming American Jewish life by enhancing the professional abilities of Jewish leaders. The curriculum is rooted in the belief that Judaism has its own distinct and insightful approaches to leadership. Through lectures, group work, and individual mentoring led by Northwestern and Spertus faculty, participants will learn best practices drawn from contemporary leadership principles and classical Jewish texts and thought.

Traditionally, programs for Jewish leadership have focused either on management skills or Jewish literacy. In this program, leadership training is taught within a distinctively Jewish context. Participants will learn to assess and improve their own leadership, to articulate vision and inspire and motivate stakeholders, to improve collaboration, to achieve organizational goals, to hone their communication skills, and to plan and execute for the future.

This program is the only one of its kind and is jointly offered by Northwestern University and Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.

Intended Audience
The curriculum has been developed for emerging leaders of nonprofit organizations, including those focused on social service, fundraising, education, culture, and public policy advocacy. Experienced leaders of Jewish organizations and professionals working outside the Jewish community will also find the program offers benefits to their work through its focus on best practices in a Jewish context.

Learning Outcomes
Participants who complete the certificate program will be able to:

• Analyze, explain, and model what it means to be an effective leader by drawing upon Jewish scholarship and classical texts and best practices
• Apply ethical principles based on Jewish traditions into daily leadership practices
• Demonstrate an understanding of key qualities of effective leadership based on contemporary leadership theory
• Develop a repertoire of supervisory, conflict resolution, and change management skills
• Implement strategies and techniques for effective collaboration, team building, and communication
• Synthesize what is learned in this program to solve problems within the participant’s organization

Curriculum
The curriculum is a six-module sequence offered on the Chicago campuses of Northwestern and Spertus. It begins with an intensive two-day seminar and continues with four modules, each meeting once a week in the evening for five weeks, along with ongoing participation in online discussion and activities. The program concludes with a capstone seminar in which participants apply their learning to a problem within their own organization, with further input from the instructor and their peers. Participants will proceed through the curriculum as a cohort, which will provide opportunities for peer learning and networking.

Professional Mentoring
A unique and essential aspect of the program will be its focus on the mentoring of students by seasoned Jewish professional and lay leaders. These mentors will serve in the capstone project, where they will lend their expertise to the students' real-world challenges.

Modules and Schedule
To earn the Jewish Leadership certificate, students must complete all six modules. You can view the full module description on the Course Schedule and Tuition page.

Northwestern University

• Northwestern University is a preeminent university recognized internationally as a hallmark of academic excellence.
• School of Continuing Studies programs provide students with exceptional opportunities for intellectual, professional and personal growth.
• SCS instructors bring outstanding academic credentials and relevant professional experience to the classroom to create a highly interactive, collaborative, and challenging learning environment.
• SCS students study with peers who have rich, diverse backgrounds and can provide lifelong learning connections.

Spertus: A Center for Jewish Learning and Culture

• Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies has a long and rich history of innovative programming that serves the needs of Jewish educators and communal professionals.
• Spertus’ outstanding, diverse, and non-denominational offerings are multifaceted, grounded in Jewish thought, inspired by Jewish values, and resolutely relevant to contemporary life.
• Spertus graduate-level degree programs, professional certificates, and workshops in areas of Jewish Studies, Jewish Professional Studies, and Nonprofit Management blend theory and practice and are taught by leading faculty with real-world experience.
• Spertus serves diverse students around the globe through on-campus and distance-learning programs.

Contact Us
If you would like to speak with someone to get more information about The Certificate in Jewish Leadership, give us a call or email us today!

Call: 312-503-0714
Email: pdp@northwestern.edu