Professor Chen and Rabbi Lerner selected as Professor and Adjunct of the Year

Professor Wenxiong Chen and Rabbi Dov Lerner were selected as Professor and Adjunct of the Year for Yeshiva College (YC) by the current class of seniors this April.

The winners, announced in an email by Dean Fredric Sugarman on April 24, were chosen through two rounds of voting by the YC senior class. 

According to an email sent to the student body by Sugarman, the purpose of the award is to recognize and “let a deserving faculty member know how the Senior class appreciates their hard work and dedication to Yeshiva College.”

Chen received his Ph.D. from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Math in Beijing in 1986, taking an educational position in the United States the following year. He came to YU in 2002, where he has taught math since. He also served as chair of the department from 2016 to 2020.

He told The Commentator that his experiences with students inspire his work as a professor.

“It is my passion for mathematics and the desire to share my knowledge and understanding with students,” said Chen. “Teaching and mentoring students can be incredibly rewarding, and I find my fulfillment in seeing my students grow and succeed.”

Lerner received his BA in English literature in 2011 and semikha [rabbinic ordination] from YU in 2014. He later received an MA in Religion and a Ph.D. in the History of Judaism from the University of Chicago's Divinity School.

Lerner told The Commentator that he was appreciative of the award.

“For a whole range of reasons I find teaching at YU to be a true gift, including the warmth, humor, commitment, and curiosity of the students,”  said Lerner. “I am so deeply touched by their signal of appreciation.”

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Photo Caption: Wenxiong Chen and Rabbi Dov Lerner were selected as Professor and Adjunct of the Year for Yeshiva College (YC) by the current class of seniors this April.

Photo Credit: Yeshiva University