Hillel at Ithaca College joins 20 college campuses across the United States and Canada in hosting a Springboard Innovation Fellow. The Springboard Fellowship was launched in 2016 by Hillel International to train young Jewish professionals in highly-valued skillsets and place them at local Hillel campuses for two years. The participation of Hillel at Ithaca College in this program showcases just one sign of the continuing growth within the campus Jewish community. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 1,000 undergraduate students at Ithaca are Jewish.
As the Innovation Fellow for IC Hillel, Austin Reid seeks to engage students who may be under involved in Jewish life on campus. Some specific groups Reid hopes to engage with include LGBTQ+ Jews, Jewish athletes, and inter-faith students.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have been hired by Hillel at Ithaca College, and I am excited to help further the growth and development of Jewish student life here on the South Hill,” explained Reid. “I am especially excited to work with so many passionate students who are already doing so many great things at IC! I also hope that through my role more people in the wider Ithaca community can be made aware of the quality student programming being done at Hillel. This is a job where I feel like I am truly making a difference!”
Innovation Fellows are trained in Design Thinking methodology to spark new ideas, to connect with students, and to infuse creativity into Jewish life on campus. Reid plans to help facilitate several different types of programs including a monthly series highlighting the histories and traditions of Jewish communities from around the world.
“The goal with this monthly program is really to showcase that Judaism is a global faith which has thrived in many different regions. Judaism is one of the most diverse faiths in the world, but this diversity is sometimes overlooked.”
Reid is a graduate of Capital University in Columbus, OH where he majored in History and Political Science. During his time at Capital, Reid re-established an organized Jewish community on his campus and engaged in interfaith activities.
The Springboard Fellowship is a reimagining of the Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellowship, which Hillel ran from 1994 to 2008 and trained a generation of emerging Jewish communal leaders through their roles in Jewish student engagement.
For more information about Jewish student life at Ithaca College please email ithacahillel@gmail.com.
