Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 8 text:

rom A, s you terminate your college education at Yeshiva University, I extend to you sinceresi congratulations on your past achievements and wish you every success in your future endeavors. Above all, you should remember and be guided by the indigenous principles which characterize your alma mater. The very name Yeshiva College in itself is a symbol of our purposes and philosophy. The Yeshiva stands for the concept that theory must be translated into practice, being into doing and learning must lead to moral and ethical disciplines based upon the divine and universal law of the Torah. The teachings of the Yeshiva are primarily dedicated to the spiritual and moral purposes of our daily lives. A college of liberal arts and sciences in the accepted sense of the term is dedicated to the acquisition of human knowledge; to give the human mind opportunity to search the mysteries of the universe; to acquire a better understanding of the world in which we live; and to attain a greater perception of the lives and destinies of people among whom we live. A college of arts and sciences is primarily concerned with Man and his World. The purpose of Yeshiva College is to create a unity between the Yeshiva and College, — the Yeshiva endsavoring to give a moral and spiritual purpose to the human knowledge which the student acquires in the College. I have abiding faith that you will govern your lives by the standards of the Torah and that you will consider your education as a means to a greater end — consecrated service to G D and fellow men. Remain a ben-ha-yes iiva in spirit and deed. I wish you well-being and well-doing. CJ t-vI WiLk -Lx SAMUEL BELKIN President

Page 7 text:

FOREWORD It is ten years since the first atomic bomb was dropped and since the United Nations was founded. The fearful implications of the one were overshadowed by the promises of the other. Within these ten years, however, a gradual reversal of feelings has occurred. The pessimism inherent in any speculations about the atomic bomb is in- creasing while the optimism that prevailed with the creation of the United Nations has decreased. The spirit of fear has entered; fear of war, fear of liberty, fear of knowledge, fear of man ' s individuality. A new generation is inheriting these fears. We ore entering a world that has been molded by others and over which we have little control. It is a world where a pattern of thought and action is shaping from which it is difficult to escape. Yet it is our hope that the pattern will change, and that we will in some measure be able to aid thts change.

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tne Administration o, ne of the great, if not the greatest, problems confront ' ng modern education is the utilization of the knowledge acquired in college and its application to the broad needs of modern life. A college education, it is generally agreed, should consist of more than the mere execution of intellectual minutes. The problem of relating the part of the whole, in whatever way we state it, and of the evaluation of the whole in terms of the basic goals has been the principal burden of educotioaol gatherings for some time. I know of no one who has expressed the dilemma more eloquently than Whitehead: The fading of ideals is sad evidence of the defeat of human endeavor. In the schools of antiquity philosophers aspired to impart wisdom, in modorn colleges our humbler aim is to teach subjects. Yeshiva College will hardly admit to the fading of ideals in spite of its concern with the teaching of subjects. The power of ideals, I am confident, has not been extinguished by the demands of courses at Yeshiva. The class of 1955 alone must bear witness, however, to the soundness of the synthesis undertaken by Yeshiva. In wishing members of the graduating class every success in life and career, may I add that the measure of this success will be the justification of the kind of education offered by Yeshiva. Such success will come not only with material achievement but with the fruition of the seeds of wisdom planted here. I hope, in addition, that members of the class will carry away from this institution as warm a feeling as we of the college have formed for them, during the years of their sojourn at Yeshiva. SIMEON L GUTERMAN Dean