| Syms School of Business | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Our Business is the Future |
| Established | 1987 |
| Type | Private |
| Location | New York City, New York, USA |
| Director | Dr. Moishe Pava |
| Website | www.yu.edu/syms/ |
The Syms School of Business (the name change "reflects a broad change in culture with an enhanced focus on strengthening relationships among administration, staff, faculty, students, alumni and others.") is Yeshiva University's business school for men and women. It offers both undergraduate and graduate business programs for at the Wilf Campus in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood, and at the Beren Campus in New York’s Murray Hill neighborhood.
The school offers the unique combination of a complete business curriculum along with Yeshiva University’s Jewish studies component, affording professional preparation with a broad base in liberal arts studies. Jewish tradition provides the framework for consideration of ethical issues, an integral part of the program.
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Established in 1987 through a $12.5 million endowment from businessman and philanthropist Sy Syms and other business leaders, the school offers a complete business curriculum along with an intensive Jewish studies component for undergraduate men and women.
The Syms School of Business offers professional preparation with a broad base in liberal arts studies. The curriculum, leading to the Bachelor of Science degree, incorporates the study and use of a wide variety of Business disciplines as part of the coursework. Jewish tradition provides the framework for consideration of ethical issues, an integral part of the student's education. All SYMS students simultaneously attend one of the four schools of Jewish studies. SYMS faculty members are committed to teaching undergraduates while maintaining respected positions in the research and professional communities. They thus offer students a thorough background in the theoretical as well as practical aspects of business.
In 2011 the new SYMS Administration hired S. Abraham Ravid, a renowned professor in Finance and Economics with a specialty in Capital Structure, Debt features, Bankruptcy and Mergers & Contracts.
Belfer Hall, named for philanthropists Diane and Arthur Belfer, is one of the tallest educational structures in the world.[1] The main building on Wilf Campus is the 235 ft tall Belfer Hall that was originally built in 1968 for the use of Wurzweiler School of Social Work & Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies but now shared by the three schools. The school's students live in the surrounding residence halls of Yeshiva University and make use of the surrounding facilities. Students can also have a productive workout at the state of the art Sy Syms Fitness Centre located in Rubin Hall.
Students take business courses through the Sy Syms School of Business and complete their liberal arts requirements at Yeshiva College or Stern College for Women. Women undertake their Jewish studies at Stern, while men attend one of four Jewish studies options:
Majors and minors offered include accounting (an optional 5 year program leading to a B.S/M.S. in Accounting); finance; general business; international business; management; management information systems; and marketing.
A general business minor is offered to students majoring in Yeshiva University's liberal arts college, Yeshiva College. Additionally, Syms students may be able to pursue a minor in a subject area in Yeshiva College; the exact rules of this matter are kind of shady (read: do your research and get all administrative decisions in writing).
In addition, the school offers a selection of honors courses, with a planned honors program in development.
The Syms School of Business maintains a strong focus on entrepreneurship.
The real estate minor that was initiated by former Dean Charles Snow has become the most popular minor in Syms. The minor was designed by Professor Stuart Verstandig, who has been teaching at the school since 1999. The curriculum include courses in real estate law, appraisal, investment, finance, and management. As a part of the curriculum, top industry leaders are invited to speak. Speakers have included George H. Ross, senior counsel and executive vice president of the Trump Organization (and star of “The Apprentice”), Harris Lukashok, vice president, Bank of America; the Hon. Sandra J. Feuerstein, associate justice of the New York Supreme Court, a member of Cardozo School of Law’s first graduating class and a board chairman; the Hon. Martin Shulman, a YU alum, supervising judge for New York County and an acting justice for the New York Supreme Court; Ira Bloom, director of commercial leasing, Kushner Companies; and Anita Grossberg, vice president, Corcoran Group real estate.[2]
In the past, for the real estate management course, students toured Giants Stadium as an example of a facility at an income-producing property. Students also toured Kushner Companies and Massey/Knakal Realty Services to gain a better understanding of real estate investment.
The number of alumni is over 50,000 worldwide in 44 countries. YU probably has one of the most diverse population of foreign alumni of any university in the U.S.,and its members are often referred to as part of the "Maccabees Family Network."
This annual event provides a platform for business networking and relationship building. This past February, during the sixth annual dinner, over sixty alumni, fifty students, and a dozen board members and business leaders attended the event.
Initiated by the 2011-2012 SYMS Student Council, these visits take place on Fridays throughout the Academic Year where SYMS Students visit the offices of various professionals, entrepreneurs and other enterprises to get an on-site exposure to their day-to-day operations. Previous SYMSSC Site Visits have included Bloomberg LP, AREA Property Partners, New York Stock Exchange, New York Federal Reserve, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Prime Hospitality Group at The Prime Grill among other companies.
What began in April 2007 as a student- and alumni-initiated celebration of the schools 20th anniversary, it is now an annual event to recognize the school's achievements and reach for new levels of accomplishment. Over the night's course, past alumni are honored and current students are given their respectable awards. Past guest speakers have included Mitt Romney.
First organized in 2005, under Dean Charles J. Snow's tenure, this yearly event was developed as a recruitment project to offer high school students a chance to visit the business school, meet current students and develop an understanding of the subjects taught at the school. During the highlight of the event. student teams compete against other teams in answering stock market trivia questions. The top three teams in the competition share $1,500.00 in cash prizes. The 2008 competition featured over a dozen Jewish high schools.