Gratz College
Years, Focus
re INVIGORATING
At Philadelphia’s oldest Friends school, we are
learning A Penn Charter education is a powerful challenge
for students to use modern tools and design thinking
William Penn
EXPLORATION WITH
Charter BEGIN YOUR School
to dive into complexity, cultivate curiosity, and
develop discipline and a thirst for discovery —
all within a culture of caring and community.

A conversation with Admissions: 215.844.3460
And a virtual preview: www.penncharter.com/admissions
re INVENTING classic
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20 THE GUIDE 2020/2021
Jesse Bernstein | JE Staff
S amantha Vinokor-Meinrath didn’t want to drop
what she was doing to go to graduate school for
education. As a Jewish educator, then in Washington, D.C.,
she needed to find a way to earn her Ed.D. without
giving up the chance to actually teach on a day-to-
day basis. She wanted a program that didn’t just
teach her how to be a better educator, but one that
would allow her to become a better Jewish educator.

Three years later, now living in the Cleveland
area, she’s finishing her graduate degree at Gratz
College. Learning exclusively online, she’s been able
to have everything she’d set her sights on, educa-
tionally and professionally.

The typical student of Gratz College, which cele-
brates its 125th anniversary this year, has changed.

That student once lived in the Philadelphia area and
was almost certainly Jewish; if they weren’t young
immigrants, they were the children and grand-
children of such people. They were there to learn
Hebrew language and Jewish studies, as both sub-
jects were still rare finds at mainstream colleges and
universities. They were probably going to become
teachers themselves.

But as Gratz has transitioned to a primarily
online institution, a process that began in 2001
and continues to this day, the student base has also
changed. Today, though still likely to be Jewish,
the typical student is almost certainly not within
commutable distance of Philadelphia, according to
Paul Finkelman, president of the college. They’re not