Program Description
The Jeff Gural Academic Achievement and Opportunity Scholars Program is a selective four-year scholarship program for students at Eugene Lang College. The program provides need-based scholarships each year from orientation to graduation for up to 48 Lang students. This program is housed within Lang's Office of Civic Engagement and Social Justice.
In addition to receiving a supplemental scholarship, Scholars are enrolled in a year-long two-credit seminar (one credit for each academic year) focused on social justice theory and practice. The curriculum
unfolds as follows:
- First-year Gural Scholars develop an understanding of social justice theory and practice by exploring a range of social justice issues and movements.
- As sophomores, Scholars design and implement projects that examine and respond to social justice issues within the United States.
- During junior year, the scope of concern expands to include an international trip: With the sponsorship of the program, Gural Scholars travel outside of the United States to undertake a project and/or field-based work in another country.
- As seniors, the students complete a group project that represents the collective learning and engagement of their years as Gural Scholars. Their insights are shared with other Gural Scholars and the wider Lang community.
The Gural Scholars program is more than a scholarship — it is a four-year commitment to developing work and identity as social justice scholars and activists. Scholars think critically about their personal relationships to power and privilege and about
how to challenge structural inequities and dismantle systems of oppression. They build a community with one another outside of The New School through critical reflection, ethical engagement, and activism. The program connects them with Lang faculty
and staff through one-on-one advising, monthly gatherings, annual program retreats, and events on and off campus.
Jeffrey R. Gural
Jeff Gural, the chairman of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, is a highly respected community leader in New York City. His deep commitment to civic philanthropy is evidenced by the numerous initiatives and organizations that he and his family support. He is
a longtime trustee of The New School and a member of the Eugene Lang College Board of Governors. Mr. Gural’s service and support has had a transformative impact on Lang’s civic engagement programs and the educational experiences of many students.
Jeff Gural also serves on the boards of directors of many businesses and charitable institutions. He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with a degree in civil engineering. He resides with his wife in New York City. They have three children
and five grandchildren.