For the first time, Cornell Hillel, which recently was renamed the Yudowitz Center for Jewish Campus Life--Cornell Hillel, has a full-time, professional executive director.

In her new position, Vally Naomi Kovary, a Cornell alumna and former director of external relations at Cornell University Library, is overseeing activities, social events, lectures, film festivals, classes and fund-raising to promote a lively Jewish community life on campus. She also will oversee Jewish religious programming and celebrations, festivals and religious services. Previously, Hillel was directed by its rabbi.

Kovary, who joined the Hillel staff in July, plans to expand the center's staff to include an associate director, who will be a rabbi, an office manager and student workers. These are in addition to the existing positions of director of programming, held by Judith Staubar, and Jewish campus service core fellow for outreach programming, held by Sara Price.

The new initiatives are made possible by a fund-raising drive completed this past spring to raise money for Hillel programs and organized by Cornell alumnus Mort Lowenthal '53 and a bequest of $2.75 million from alumnus Dr. Bernard S. Yudowitz '55 and his wife, Evelyn '56, of Brookline, Mass., which will strengthen and support the Yudowitz Center's Jewish-related activities on campus in years to come.

The newly named Yudowitz Center for Jewish Campus Life at Cornell--Cornell Hillel will be officially dedicated Oct. 2 in a private ceremony officiated by President Hunter Rawlings. A public celebration will be held Oct. 22 at 8:30 p.m. in the One World Room of Anabel Taylor Hall on the Cornell campus. The celebration is free and open to students, faculty, staff and community members.

Kovary has both extensive development experience and a strong Jewish background. After earning a B.A. from Cornell in urban sociology in 1977, she managed the $11 million annual fund for Cornell Development. In 1986, she earned an MBA from the Wharton School and an M.A. from

the University of Pennsylvania and spent several years in international management positions. Kovary returned to Cornell in 1993 to help raise $58 million for Cornell Library's capital campaign. She has studied and lived in Israel, speaks Hebrew and Spanish, studies the Kaballah and is a leader in Young Judaea/Hadassah and Project Kesher, an international Jewish women's organization.

Cornell Hillel is a member of Cornell United Religious Work, the university's office of religious life. In addition to providing religious services for Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jewish students, Cornell Hillel is involved in the full spectrum of Jewish life at Cornell. Hillel works in partnership with 15 different Jewish organizations on campus, such as the Nitsots (an Israeli performing dance troupe), Mitzvah Corps (Jewish students doing community service), Israel Action and Education Committee, and Young Israel, to promote Jewish identity and develop student leaders.

"My mission is to revitalize Hillel's program and link its efforts to the larger Cornell community while providing students with the resources they need to create a vibrant Jewish campus environment," Kovary said.