On behalf of the entire team at Hillel Ontario, we hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.
The past several months has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, and we’re working hard to evolve so we can continue to show up in a meaningful way for our students when the fall semester begins. Part of that has meant supporting our students in new ways, and we will continue to do so, even if it may look a little different than it has in the past.
Our management team has spent considerable time analyzing our organizations internal resources, brainstorming ways in which we could best utilize our talented staff to engage Jewish students across the province-both in the short-term, and in the long-term. As a result, we have developed, and will utilize, a “cluster” organizational structure for the 2020-2021 Academic Year.
Creating a flexible structure that would allow us to operate in either an “in-person” or “virtual environment”, and eliminating the concept of solely operating “campus-based” for this year, opens up the possibility of professionals serving multiple campuses, creating far more equity across each school in terms of human resources, and an opportunity to facilitate more cross-campus connections and collaboration.
In addition to best serving the Jewish student population across the province, the new structure allows us to retain as many of our talented professionals as possible.
Campuses will be grouped together in clusters of three, with each campus retaining a Hillel Director, or lead professional. Each of these clusters will be supported by a Senior Jewish Educator, Engagement Professional, Advocacy Professional, as well as other members of our Education and Engagement team.
With the new structure in place and given the increased need for “virtual” engagement, we have also created two new positions, specifically to amplify programming, outreach, and engagement online. These two professionals will be integral members of both the Marketing and Communications, and Campus teams. They will bring student engagement and programming expertise to their role and use digital platforms and strategies that will be imperative to Hillel’s success in this environment.
This new structure allows us to continue working directly with each individual campus, while maximizing our resources and talent, continuing to offer campus-based programming and engagement, but now better positioned to offer rich, unique cross-campus opportunities as well.
We miss you all and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Stay safe and healthy,
Marc Newburgh, CEO