Brandeis University Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus . It is located in Waltham , Massachusetts , nine miles ( 14 km ) west of Boston . The university has an enrollment of approximately 3 , 500 undergraduate and 2 , 100 graduate students . In 2011 , it was ranked by the U . S . News and World Report as the number 33 national university in the United States . Forbes listed Brandeis University as number 57 among all national universities and liberal arts colleges combined in 2010 . Brandeis was founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian Jewish - sponsored coeducational institution on the site of the former Middlesex University . The university is named for Louis Brandeis ( 1856 – 1941 ) , the first Jewish Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States . History . Founders . Names associated with the founding of Brandeis include Israel Goldstein , George Alpert , C . Ruggles Smith , Albert Einstein , and Abram L . Sachar . C . Ruggles Smith was the son of Dr . John Hall Smith , founder of Middlesex University , who had died in 1944 . In 1946 , the university was on the brink of financial collapse . At the time , it was one of the few medical schools in the U . S . that did not impose a Jewish quota ; but it had never been able to secure AMA accreditation — in part , its founder believed , due to institutional antisemitism in the AMA — and , as a result , Massachusetts had all but shut it down . Israel Goldstein was a prominent rabbi in New York from 1918 until 1960 ( when he immigrated to Israel ) , and an influential Zionist . Before 1946 , he had headed the New York Board of Rabbis , the Jewish National Fund , and the Zionist Organization of America , and helped found the National Conference of Christians and Jews . On his eightieth birthday , in Israel , Yitzhak Rabin and other leaders of the government , the parliament , and the Zionist movement assembled at his house to pay him tribute . But among all his accomplishments , the one chosen by the New York Times to headline his obituary was : " Rabbi Israel Goldstein , A Founder of Brandeis . " C . Ruggles Smith , desperate for a way to save something of Middlesex University , learned of a New York committee headed by Goldstein that was seeking a campus to establish a Jewish - sponsored secular university , and approached Goldstein with a proposal to give the Middlesex campus and charter to Goldstein ' s committee , in the hope that his committee might " possess the apparent ability to reestablish the School of Medicine on an approved basis . " Goldstein was concerned about being saddled with a failing medical school , but excited about the opportunity to secure a " campus not far from New York , the premier Jewish community in the world , and only from Boston , one of the important Jewish population centers . " Goldstein agreed to accept Smith ' s offer and then proceeded to recruit George Alpert , a Boston lawyer with fund - raising experience as national vice president of the United Jewish Appeal . George Alpert ( 1898 - September 11 , 1988 ) had worked his way through Boston University School of Law and co - founded the firm of Alpert and Alpert . His firm had a long association with the New York , New Haven and Hartford Railroad , of which he was to become president from 1956 to 1961 He is best known today as the father of Richard Alpert ( Baba Ram Dass ) . He was influential in Boston ' s Jewish community . His Judaism " tended to be social rather than spiritual . " He was involved in assisting children displaced from Germany . Alpert was to be chairman of Brandeis from 1946 to 1954 , and a trustee from 1946 until his death . Goldstein also recruited Albert Einstein , whose involvement , while stormy and short - lived , was extremely important , as it drew national attention to the nascent university . The founding organization was named " The Albert Einstein Foundation for Higher Learning , Inc . " and early press accounts emphasized his involvement . Einstein incident . The origin of what was to become Brandeis was closely associated with the name of Albert Einstein from February 5 , 1946 , when he agreed to the establishment of the Albert Einstein Foundation for Higher Learning , Inc . , until June 22 , 1947 , when he withdrew his support . The trustees offered to name the university after Einstein in the summer of 1946 , but Einstein declined , and on July 16 , 1946 the board decided the university would be named after Louis Brandeis . On August 19 , the plans for the new university were announced by prominent rabbi and Zionist Israel Goldstein , president of the Albert Einstein Foundation . Goldstein said that the planned university was to be supported by contributions from Jewish organizations and individuals , and stressed the point that the institution was to be without quotas and open to all " regardless of race , color , or creed . " The institution was to be " deeply conscious both of the Hebraic tradition of Torah looking upon culture as a birthright , and of the American ideal of an educated democracy . " In later stories the New York Times ' capsule characterization of Brandeis was " a Jewish - supported non - quota university . " Einstein and Goldstein clashed almost immediately . Einstein objected to what he thought was excessively expansive promotion , and to Goldstein ' s sounding out Abram L . Sachar as a possible president without consulting Einstein . Einstein took great offense at Goldstein ' s having invited Cardinal Francis Spellman to participate in a fundraising event . Einstein resigned on September 2 , 1946 . Believing the venture could not succeed without Einstein , Goldstein quickly agreed to resign himself , and Einstein returned ; his brief departure was publicly denied . The Foundation acquired the campus of the Middlesex University in Waltham , which was almost defunct except for the Middlesex Veterinary and Medical College . The charter of this small and marginal operation was transferred to the Foundation along with the campus . The Foundation had pledged to continue operating it , but began to feel that it would never be more than third - rate , while its operating costs were burdensome at a time when the Foundation was trying to raise funds . Disputes arose whether to try to improve it — as Einstein wished — or to terminate it . Einstein also became alarmed by press announcements that exaggerated the school ' s success at fundraising , and on June 22 , 1947 he made a final break with the enterprise . The veterinary school was closed , despite " indignant and well - publicized protests and demonstrations by the disappointed students and their parents " . George Alpert , a lawyer responsible for much of the organizational effort , gave another reason for the break : Einstein ' s desire to offer the presidency of the school to left - wing scholar Harold Laski . Alpert characterized Laski as " a man utterly alien to American principles of democracy , tarred with the Communist brush . " He said , " I can compromise on any subject but one : that one is Americanism . " Six years later , Einstein would decline the offer of an honorary degree from Brandeis , writing to Brandeis president Abram L . Sachar that " what happened in the stage of preparation of Brandeis University was not at all caused by a misunderstanding and cannot be made good any more . " Historians Slater and Slater commented that " plagued by infighting , Brandeis in early 1948 seemed a project in serious trouble . Nonetheless , the school opened in the fall with 107 students . " The historians list the opening of Brandeis as one of their " Great Moments in Jewish History . " In 1954 Brandeis inaugurated a graduate program and became fully accredited . In 1985 , Brandeis was elected to membership in the Association of American Universities , an association that focuses on graduate education and research . Student takeover of Ford Hall . From January 8 – 18 , 1969 about 70 students captured and held then - student - center , Ford Hall . The student protesters renamed the school " Malcolm X University " for the duration of the siege ( distributing buttons with the new name and logo ) and issued a list of ten demands for better minority representation on campus . Most of these demands were subsequently met . Ford Hall was demolished in August 2000 to make way for the Shapiro Campus Center , which was opened and dedicated October 3 , 2002 . Rose Art Museum . The Rose Art Museum opened in 1961 , the result of a decade - long struggle to house the art donations Brandeis had been receiving . Abram Sachar had written of the importance of fine arts to Brandeis and his " determination to expose our students and faculty to every kind of art orientation . " Of the museum itself he had written : But in response to a university budget shortfall of $ 10 million , a formerly $ 700 million endowment now reduced , and the loss of longtime donors who lost money through investments with Bernard Madoff , on January 26 , 2009 the university announced it would close the Rose Art Museum in September 2009 and sell off a prized collection of contemporary American art , stating " The bottom line is that the students , the faculty and core academic mission come first . ( Trustees ) had to look at the college ' s assets and came to a decision to maintain that fundamental commitment to teaching . " Amidst protests and criticism , the Massachusetts Attorney General plans to review the planned sale and wills and agreements between the museum and donors . The university subsequently indicated that it would sell only a limited number of pieces , if any , and would keep the museum open as a teaching and exhibition gallery . The failure to resolve the university ' s budget difficulties through the art sell - off led to a decision in May 2009 to suspend the university ' s contribution to employees ' retirement funds for one year . Brandeis University ' s president , Jehuda Reinharz , announced that he would resign at the end of the academic year , the Boston Globe reported . The announcement took many on the campus by surprise , but Mr . Reinharz said the recent criticism over his financial stewardship and plans to close the university ' s Rose Art Museum was not a factor in his decision . At age 65 , he said , he felt the time had come to move on . A new president , Frederick M . Lawrence , took office on January 1 , 2011 . By June 30 , 2011 , a lawsuit that had been brought against the university to prevent the closing of the Rose was settled . The museum remains open , and no works of art were sold to support university operations . The 50th anniversary and reopening took place on October 25 , 2011 . Presidents . The presidents of Brandeis University have been : Academics . The schools of the University include : The College of Arts and Sciences comprises 24 departments and 22 interdepartmental programs , which , in total , offer 43 majors and 47 minors . The Heller School for Social Policy and Management , founded in 1959 , is noteworthy for its graduate programs in healthcare administration , social policy , social work , and international development . Internships , research assistantships and other hands - on experiences are available throughout the curriculum . The global and experiential dimensions of education at Brandeis are carried out through international centers and institutes , which sponsor lectures and colloquia and add to the ranks of distinguished scholars on campus . The Brandeis University Press , a member of the University Press of New England , publishes books in a variety of scholarly and general interest fields . The Goldfarb Library at Brandeis has more than 1 . 6 million volumes and 300 , 000 e - journals . The library also houses a large United States Government archive . Brandeis University is a part of the Boston Library Consortium , which allows its students , faculty , and staff to access and borrow books and other materials from other BLC institutions including , Brown University , Tufts University , and Williams College . Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies . In 1980 , Brandeis University established the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies , the first academic center devoted to the study of Jewish life in the United States . The Cohen Center ’ s work spans basic research on Jewish identity to applied educational evaluation studies . The center ’ s recent signature studies include research with participants in Taglit - Birthright Israel , investigations of synagogue transformation , and analyses of Jewish summer camping . CMJS research has altered the understanding of contemporary Jewish life and the role of Jewish institutions in the United States . Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism . The Elaine and Gerald Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism was launched in September 2004 as the first investigative reporting center based at a United States university . The Institute ' s major projects are : Steinhardt Social Research Institute . The Steinhardt Social Research Institute was created in 2005 from a gift from Michael Steinhardt as a forum to collect , analyze , and disseminate data about the Jewish community and about religion and ethnicity in the United States . The first mission of SSRI was to interpret the inherent problems with the National Jewish Population Survey of 2000 ( NJPS ) . SSRI has done a Jewish Population Survey of the Greater Boston area , the results of which were released on November 9 , 2006 . The Institute collects and organizes existing socio - demographic data from private , communal , and government sources and will conduct local and national studies of the character of American Jewry and Jewish organizations . The work of the Institute is done by a multidisciplinary staff of faculty and scholars , working with undergraduate and graduate students , and augmented by visiting scholars and consultants . The Institute works in close collaboration with the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies . Women ' s Studies Research Center . The Women ' s Studies Research Center , founded and directed by sociology professor Shulamit Reinharz is located at the Epstein Building on the Brandeis campus . Notable faculty and graduates . Brandeis , which is one of America ' s smallest and youngest research universities , has produced a body of unusually accomplished alumni , especially in academia , the professions , and literature , and can boast a distinguished faculty . Among the better - known graduates are screenwriters for the television show Friends David Crane and Marta Kauffman , political activists Abbie Hoffman and Angela Davis , journalist Thomas Friedman , Congressman Stephen J . Solarz , physicist Edward Witten , novelist Ha Jin , political theorist Michael Walzer , actress Debra Messing , philosopher Michael Sandel , Olympic Silver Medalist fencer Timothy Morehouse , social and psychoanalytic theorist Nancy Chodorow , and author Mitch Albom . Among the distinguished faculty , present and past , are composers David Rakowski and Leonard Bernstein , social theorist Herbert Marcuse , psychologist Abraham Maslow , human rights activist Eleanor Roosevelt , Anita Hill , historian David Hackett Fischer , economist Thomas Sowell , diplomat Dennis Ross , children ' s author Margret Rey , former United States Secretary of Labor Robert Reich , sociologist Morrie Schwartz , and poet Adrienne Rich . Athletics . The Brandeis University athletic teams The Judges compete in the University Athletic Association ( UAA ) conference of the NCAA Division III . Brandeis has 10 varsity teams for both men and women , and 1 co - ed varsity team . The varsity teams are in : Brandeis also has 20 club sports and numerous intramural sports , including sailing ( formerly a varsity sport ) , rugby union , ultimate , crew , lacrosse , field hockey , squash , men ' s volleyball , quidditch and martial arts . Staff and faculty are allowed to play on intramural teams . Research . Archaeological work in Cyprus ( at Kalavasos - Tenta ) by a team from the university , went on from 1976 to 1984 . Student life . The university has an active student government , the Brandeis Student Union , as well as more than 270 student organizations . Fraternities and sororities are officially prohibited by Brandeis University , as they are contrary to a central tenet of the university , namely , that student organizations be open to all students , with membership determined by competency or interest . According to an official handbook , " [ e ] xclusive or secret societies are inconsistent with the principles of openness to which the University is committed . " . Brandeis has eleven a cappella groups , six undergraduate - run theater companies , one sketch comedy troupe , and four improv - comedy groups , as well as many other cultural and arts clubs . Brandeis is also home to what has been cited as one of the country ' s few undergraduate - run law publications . Of particular note is the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society ( B . A . D . A . S . S . ) which consistently ranks as one of the top 10 debate teams in the United States , and participates across the globe in the World Universities Debating Championships each year . Cholmondeley ' s coffeehouse , commonly referred to as " Chums " , is located in Brandeis ' Usen Castle . Chums is a popular site for student performances and concerts , including Tracy Chapman , Joan Baez , Matt Pond PA , and Genesis ( notable as their first American performance ) . Early footage of Chums appears in the short documentary film , " Coffee House Rendezvous " . Cholmondley ' s is named after a notoriously ill - tempered Basset hound that was the on - campus pet for Ralph Norman , the campus photographer during the first years of Brandeis . He would roam the campus after dark , growling at students , often nipping at their cuffs and making a general nuisance of himself . After his death , the coffee house was named for him , not so much in remembrance but in celebration . Brandeis University ' s Campus Sustainability Initiative seeks to reduce the University ' s environmental and climate change impact . The University ' s accomplishments in the arena of sustainability include the creation of a student - organized on - campus Farmers ' Market , the implementation of a single - stream recycling program , and the transition to GreenE certified wind power for 15 % of the school ' s electricity needs . Brandeis also offers a course called " Greening the Campus and Community , " in which students " examine the environmental impacts of the Brandeis and Waltham community , and then design and implement projects to address those impacts . " Student projects have included greening campus offices , running after - school environmental education programs for children in the Waltham schools , and cleaning up local streams and ponds . Students also have the option of taking courses with a ' Community Engaged Learning ' ( CEL ) aspect . Community - engaged learning is an aspect of the university ' s broad - based commitment to experiential learning . Emergency medical services are provided by the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps , a Massachusetts - certified EMT - Basic volunteer student organization which does not charge a fee for any of its emergency services . Security escort services are provided around the campus and into Waltham by the student - run " Branvan , " which runs on a daily schedule from 4 : 00 pm to 2 : 30 am on weekdays and from 12 : 00 pm to 2 : 30 am on weekends . The university is west of Boston and is accessible through Brandeis / Roberts station on the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line , a free shuttle that services Boston and Cambridge ( Harvard Square ) Thursday through Sunday , the nearby Riverside subway station ( above ground ) on the Green Line , and the 553 MBTA Bus . Wien International Scholarship . Wien International Scholarship is a scholarship instituted by Brandeis University for international undergraduate students . The Wien International Scholarship was established in 1958 by Lawrence A . and Mae Wien . The Wien family had three objectives : to further international understanding , to provide foreign students an opportunity to study in the United States , and to enrich the intellectual and cultural life at Brandeis . The Wien Scholarship offers full or partial tuition awards ; these awards are need - based and require the applicants to present outstanding academic and personal achievement . Each year , the recipients of the scholarship take a week - long tour of a destination in the United States . In previous years , the students have visited the United Nations in New York City , and did relief work in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina . In April 2008 , the University hosted a 3 - day long celebration for the 50th anniversary of the program . Institute for Informal Jewish Education . The Institute for Informal Jewish Education aims to support Jewish educators in creating meaningful Jewish experiences through professional development opportunities including pre - service experiences , in - service experiences related to educators ’ practice , practitioner research , curriculum development , and strategic organizational support . The IJE is funded partially through grants , from The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies , The Legacy Heritage Fund , The Covenant Foundation , and AVI CHAI Foundation . Current IJE projects include : The IJE runs two summer programs for high school students : The IJE has close partnerships with The North American Association of Community Hebrew High Schools and Foundation for Jewish Camp .