Stevenson University and Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary and College of Baltimore (WITS) are pleased to announce a new partnership to create Pre-Med, Pre-Dental, and Biomedical Engineering degree pathways for WITS students. On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, representatives of the institutions signed a memorandum of understanding to create an educational collaboration that allows WITS students to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies at WITS and, concurrently, a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a Pre-Med/Pre-Dental focus or a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Stevenson.
“WITS has achieved many successes in 25 years as a college for Orthodox Jewish women in the Baltimore area and beyond,” said Leslie Klein, Ph.D., Academic Dean of WITS. “We have over 2,000 alumnae who have gone on to be successful in graduate school and in their chosen careers. Recently, there have been exciting developments as teams of Orthodox high school girls have been participating and winning robotics competitions while others have secured prestigious internships at NIH. With the growing interest in careers in medicine and engineering, WITS is eager to provide programming to support these students in their desired academic fields. That is why this partnership with Stevenson for pre-med, pre-dental, and biomedical engineering education is so valuable for our students and our community.”
“This partnership is unique in that students continue their Jewish studies as they take their general education courses at WITS, while studying sciences and engineering at Stevenson University,” said Elliot Hirshman, Ph.D., President of Stevenson. “The curriculum is designed to prepare WITS students not only academically in the sciences and engineering, but for success in their next steps toward graduate and doctoral programs—and ultimately careers—through career preparation, internships, mentoring, and pre-health advising.”
This innovative partnership provides WITS students with a curriculum that prepares them to apply to medical or dental school, or with a degree that prepares them for careers in the growing and in-demand field of biomedical engineering. As part of their studies at Stevenson, WITS students in the pre-health professions track will complete two internships, one working with professionals in the healthcare field and one completing a medical or dental research experience. Students in the biomedical engineering pathway will complete four design courses that prepare them to be successful, technically proficient engineers. The first four WITS students, who are pursuing the pre-health pathway, started at Stevenson this Fall 2022 semester.
This is the second education partnership that Stevenson has formed with higher education institutions serving the Orthodox Jewish community. In January 2019, Ner Israel Rabbinical College and Stevenson partnered to create a degree pathway for Ner Israel students seeking pre-med education to prepare for graduate programs in medicine and related health fields.
“We are very pleased to form these partnerships with the Orthodox Jewish educational institutions of our region and bring the value of Stevenson’s educational experience to more students,” added President Hirshman.
Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary and College (WITS) is a seminary and an undergraduate college, accredited by the Association of Institutions of Jewish Studies and approved as a degree-granting institution by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. WITS has provided Jewish women with an undergraduate education leading to B.A. and B.S. degrees since 1998, and its graduates are prepared for personal and professional accomplishment in Jewish communal life, graduate school, and the professional world. The student body includes women studying a wide range of disciplines including Jewish studies, education, natural and physical sciences, pre-med, business and accounting, graphic arts, computer science, cybersecurity, psychology, speech and language pathology, and humanities. WITS has more than 2,000 alumnae who have gone on to graduate school and to careers in a diverse array of fields. For more information, visit www.wits.edu.
Photo above: On Wednesday, October 26, 2022, representatives of the Women’s Institute of Torah Seminary and College of Baltimore (WITS) and Stevenson University signed a memorandum of understanding to create an educational collaboration for pre-med, pre-dental, and biomedical engineering education for WITS students. Pictured left to right are: Mr. Shlomo Spetner, Chairman of the WITS Board; Mrs. Mindy Spetner, Vice-Chairman of the WITS Board; Rebbetzin Ettie Rosenbaum, WITS Executive Dean/Menaheles; Dr. Leslie G. Klein, WITS Academic Dean; Dr. Susan T. Gorman, Stevenson Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost; Dr. Ellen Roskes, Dean of Stevenson’s Fine School of the Sciences; and Dr. Elliot Hirshman, President of Stevenson University.