CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Friedman's remarks seem to contradict
the remarks of Anthony Bieda, vice presi-
dent of external affairs at ACICS, who was
quoted in the Forward as saying it was
"unusual to have [accreditation] deferred
twice" and "extremely rare to have it
deferred a third time:'
The IN followed up with a phone call to
Bieda to get clarification on his quote.
He said the intended meaning of his quote
in the Forward was that it would be unusual
or even rare for MJI to have its accredidation
deferred through the end of its 24-month
review process. But, he added — as of
now — there is nothing unusual about the
accreditation renewal process at MJI.
He cautioned that there can be no specu-
lation as to what members of the accredita-
tion council would or would not do at the
end of the process, but that to suggest, as
the Forward did, that the school would
imminently lose accreditation and students
would lose access to financial aid is simply
not accurate.

Brief History of MJI
MJI is a nonprofit career college that offers
bachelor and certificate programs for stu-
dents interested in pursuing an education
that accommodates their cultural and reli-
gious beliefs. It offers degrees in business,
computers and Judaic studies.
The school has a six-member board of
trustees. Joe Katz is one of those trustees. A
resident of Bloomfield Township and past-
president of Troy-based Congregation Shir
Tikvah, Katz has been involved with MJI for
about 12 years and on the board since 2004.
He's self-employed as a marketing consul-
tant at Katz & Associates in Bloomfield Hills.
"MJI provides an academically sound
education and means for a livelihood to

Growing enrollment leads to
growing scrutiny at MJI.

Jackie Headapohl I Managing Editor

Renderings of the proposed Michigan Jewish Institute campus, top; interior, above

people who wouldn't otherwise have it —
and it does it affordably," Katz said. "That's a
pretty noble undertaking, and I'm proud of
the school's leaders:'
The college started in 1994, with the goal
to serve the Jewish community and educate
students to help them get jobs in computer
and business information systems, said
Rabbi Kasriel Shemtov, MJI president.
MJI served two main populations: Russian
Jewish immigrants and the Orthodox com-
munity. "We were able to cater to these com-
munities," Shemtov said. "IT [information
technology] was hot at the time. Soon after
they graduated, many got jobs:'
The school became ACICS-accredited in

1997, which meant students were eligible for
federal student loans and grants.
"After 2000, jobs in the IT market dried
up, and we were looking at what else we
could offer our population of students that
would help them get jobs:' said Shemtov,
who adds that studies at that time showed a
shortage of professionals qualified to work
in Jewish organizations.
"When the Judaic studies program was
being planned, the goal was to provide stu-
dents with a career-oriented professional
education and to make it available globally:'
Shemtov said.
MJI applied for and got accreditation for a
Judaic studies degree. It launched its online

program in 2006, which was accredited in
2009.
The online Judaic studies program gener-
ated "great interest from Orthodox com-
munities throughout the
world. This interest has
resulted in a substantial
increase in MJI enroll-
ment:' Shemtov said.
About 2,000 students
study at MR, compared
with 42 students before
the online Judaic studies
Rabbi Kasriel
degree rolled out. Many
Shemtov
of the students wanted
the opportunity to study for a year in Israel
at a yeshivah or seminary and earn credits
toward their degrees, Shemotv added.
Working closely with partner schools in
Israel, students who participate in the MJI
Study Abroad Program may earn additional
credits per year toward their bachelor degree.

Pell Grants/Study Abroad
Last October, the Forward published a
story insinuating that the Michigan Jewish
Institute is taking advantage of the federal
Pell Grant program to allow students to
pursue religious studies in Israel, claiming
that "MJI received $25 million in federal aid
between 2008 and 2013, despite graduating
hardly any students:'
What the Forward failed to clarify is that
neither MJI — nor any other college —
receives Pell funds directly from the federal
government. Pell Grants are awarded exclu-
sively to U.S. students who can then choose
a U.S. Department of Education-certified
college to receive the funds.
Nearly all of U.S. MJI students receive
Pell Grants.
"MJI's role with respect to the Pell Grant
program is to administer the program on

Worldwide Campus on page 10

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October 24 • 2013

