Rabbi Dr. David Jacobson Appointed Dean of Touro College Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Calif.–August 2, 2016– Rabbi David Jacobson, Ph.D., has been appointed dean of Touro College Los Angeles (TCLA). the Touro College and University System announced today. Jacobson was previously director of college affairs at TCLA. In his new role, he will lead the educational and administrative teams, advise students and oversee the budget. He will continue his student recruitment activities as well as outreach and community engagement.
“I’m honored with the opportunity to expand my role at TCLA as we step up our efforts to grow the student body and our institutional footprint in the community. My long term goals include upgrading our health sciences concentration into a complete degree program and to provide a top quality education that will ensure that our graduates have a 100% acceptance rate to professional and graduate programs in the fields of their choice,” said Dr. Jacobson.
“We are pleased that Rabbi Dr. Jacobson has moved into this new role,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president TCUS. “I’m looking forward to working with Rabbi Jacobson and to seeing his vision for TCLA come to fruition.”
Rabbi Jacobson, who earned both a doctorate and a master’s degree in education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has over 30 years of experience in all aspects of Jewish education, is the founder and executive director of Yeshiva Educational Services, Inc., which strives to improve the quality of student learning of both Jewish and secular studies in Jewish day schools nationally. He has worked with most of the orthodox elementary and high schools in the Los Angeles area and has taught college courses in Jewish studies and education. He received rabbinic ordination from the esteemed Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, Shlit”a, in Jerusalem.
“TCLA’s commitment to educational excellence, without compromising the Jewish values parents and schools have worked so hard to maintain through high school, reflects my own personal and professional ethics of high standards for both Judaic and general learning,” said Jacobson.
He looks forward to building upon the solid groundwork laid by TCLA’s founding dean, Dr. Esther Lowy, who passed away last year.
“In thinking ahead, I hope to open a men’s beis medrash program under TCLA’s auspices that will enable students to continue their Torah study while earning a recognized degree. This dual program–integrating learning and the pursuit of a secular higher education–would be the first of its kind for Los Angeles. I believe it is an essential component of a full-service Orthodox Jewish community of our size,” said Jacobson.
Founded in 2005, TCLA offers baccalaureate degree programs in psychology, business management and Judaic studies, and additional core courses in health sciences. TCLA’s programs have been bolstered as a division of Touro University Worldwide, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and also provides online degree programs in psychology; business administration; industrial psychology; and marriage and family therapy, as well as an online doctoral program in human and organizational psychology.
“Dr. Jacobson’s professional expertise and personal commitment to Touro will serve our students and community. I am confident his leadership will help TCLA realize its goals,” said Yoram Neumann, chief executive officer at Touro University Worldwide.
About the Touro College and University System
Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 18,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College, Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro University Worldwide (which includes an online division and Touro College Los Angeles) are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please visit www.touro.edu.