Danishefsky, Zucker Elected Professors of Year

On May 29th, while Student Council hopefuls campaigned for their positions with video games, candy, and bourekas, a different election was underway. The candidates for this ballot did not campaign; they were unaware that they were even in contention for any position. About eighty graduating seniors cast their votes on that day for Professor of the Year.

Yeshiva University's Canvassing Committee headed this election and after several meetings with administrators an election format was determined. Judah Burns, a member of the Canvassing Committee, felt that Professor of the Year was a distinction that should be chosen "through complete student body involvement". For this reason any student had the ability to nominate any professor simply through a suggestion. After all nominations were collected, voting ensued.

Professors Kenneth Danishefsky and Ross Zucker garnered the most votes, and both received the honor of Professor of the Year. While Mr. Burns would not disclose the specific number of votes candidates received, he did state that Dr. Danishefsky and Dr. Zucker received "the exact same amount of votes".

Dr. Danishefsky, a professor in the Biology department saw the award as "a great honor". He stressed that the most important consideration for a teacher is his student's opinion, and that this award, in a sense, is "the only feedback of students' opinion". Dr. Danishefsky is no stranger to positive student feedback; in last year's Professor of the Year election he was only a few votes shy of defeating winner Dr. Samuel Schneider.

Dr. Zucker, a professor in the Political Science department, shares this year's award. Dr. Zucker was deeply gratified to receive the award and felt that "it is among the experiences at Yeshiva that will be unforgettable to me."

Unfortunately, Dr. Zucker has been denied tenure at Yeshiva College but found it "heartening that students of such quality responded to me in this way." Dr. Zucker also emphasized that Yeshiva University students possess a "great deal of integrity," and saw their voting for him as Professor of the Year "not simply rebelliousness, but a true act of conviction". When questioned on his reflections about an institution that denies tenure to a professor that is obviously highly regarded by students, Dr. Zucker refrained from commenting.

Yeshiva College students who have had Dr. Zucker as a teacher hope that this award will have an impact on administrators. Ben Franz, a Yeshiva College Senior who voted for Dr. Zucker, hopes that Zucker's distinction "will get faculty to reconsider their decision to deny him tenure."

While it is unclear how much student feedback about professors really affects administrative decisions, students see the Professor of the Year award as a strong candidate to exert influence. The Canvassing Committee sees the Professor of the Year award as a merit that truly reflects student's attitude. Since only seniors vote, it is assumed that people graduating do not have an "ax to grind" and their vote is a true reflection about a professor's ability. Many feel that this year's Professor of the Year award will determine how much influence student opinion truly produces.