The Lerman-Neubauer Fellowship Program, which serves "to recognize students with exceptional scholastic records," is reaching the end of its set run as no more students after the Class of 2016 have been selected as fellows, according to Elizabeth Teurlay, the adviser for the program, in an interview with the Justice.

The program, which began in 2008, was set to run for a limited amount of years when it received its funding, according to Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs Kim Godsoe in an interview with the Justice. Current Lerman-Neubauer Fellows from the Classes of 2014, 2015 and 2016 will continue to receive their full benefits, which include two stipends for summer internships, money for textbooks and the opportunity to take specialized seminars until their graduation, but no new scholars were accepted for the Class of 2017, nor will any students from future incoming classes be selected according to Teurlay.

The program was funded by Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer '69, who was a member of the University's Board of Trustees until this past year. However, Godsoe stated that Lerman-Neubauer's departure from the Board is unrelated to the program's closing.

"[The University is] always trying different things to define the student experience. ... You see a lot of innovations in colleges," Godsoe said. "And often times, those innovations are highlighted for a certain amount of time."

The focus, according to Godsoe, is now shifting toward Living Learning Communities, which falls under the supervision of Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel.

"Living Learning Communities is a broad term used in higher education to describe any programmed area of residence hall built around an common topic of interest," Flagel wrote in an email to the Justice.

"There is ample literature that these programs can increase student satisfaction as well as retention rates in a variety of campus settings," he later wrote.

Currently, the University is already running programs that fall under this umbrella, such as Common Cause Communities and Leader Scholar Communities. According to the website for the Department of Community Living, Common Cause Communities allow sophomores, juniors and seniors to live in on-campus residential areas while focusing on a "theme or common interest/passion." Leader Scholar Communities are for "first-year students who share an interest in leadership, academic and co-curricular learning in a residential setting."

"The programs align with the goals in the strategic plan surrounding the intensive, personalized academic experiences that have always been a hallmark of our Brandeis educational experiences," Flagel wrote.

According to Flagel, the University may look into "explor[ing] additional programs," depending on the "outcomes" of its current programs.

"One is not better than the other," said Godsoe in reference to programs like LNF and Living Learning Communities. "They just offer different benefits and different challenges."
When asked if the University would want to create more programs like the Lerman-Neubauer Felloship Program in the future, Godsoe responded, "Absolutely."