University of Haifa
Encyclopedia
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi
Abba Hushi
Abba Hushi was an Israeli politician who served as mayor of Haifa for eighteen years between 1951 to 1969. Hushi was one of the founders and activists of Hashomer Hatzair movement in Poland. In July 1920, he immigrated to Palestine with a group of 130 Jewish pioneers. In Palestine, he took the...
, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
.
About 18,100 undergraduate and graduate students study in the university a wide variety of topics, specializing in social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
. The University is broadly divided into six Faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Science and Science Education, Social Welfare and Health Studies, and Education. There is also the Graduate School of Business.
Beyond the objective of a first-rate higher education, the University of Haifa aims to provide equal educational opportunities to all sectors of the society, and in particular to encourage mutual understanding and cooperation between the Jewish and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
populations on and off campus.
The University of Haifa is home to the Hecht Museum of archeology and art, several research centers and institutes, including the Evolution Institute, Center for the Study of the Information Society, Center for the Study of National Security, Tourism Research Center, and more. The University also hosts a large IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
research center
IBM Haifa Research Laboratory
IBM Haifa Research Laboratory is located in Haifa, Israel. It is one of several IBM R&D Labs in Israel.IBM Haifa Research Laboratory handles projects in the spheres of cloud computing , healthcare and life sciences, verification technologies , multimedia, event processing , information retrieval...
on its campus.
History
In its first year 472 students attended the University. Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences were offered in the following departments: Biblical Studies, Hebrew Literature and Language, Jewish History, General History, French Literature and Language, English Literature and Language, Arabic Literature and Language, Geography, Sociology, and Political Science. The academic staff included 180 instructors, 50 of them Haifa residents.In 1967, the University of Haifa awarded a diploma to its first graduates, 75 in number, three-quarters of whom intended to be teachers.
The first home of the University of Haifa was in Erdstein House in the Hadar HaCarmel
Hadar HaCarmel
Hadar Hacarmel is a neighborhood of Haifa, Israel. Located on the northern slope of Mount Carmel between the upper and lower city, overlooking the Port of Haifa and Haifa Bay, it was once the commercial center of Haifa.-History:...
section of Haifa, but it soon became too crowded. The University moved to Merkaz HaCarmel, and was housed in the building that now serves the Municipal High School No. 5. In 1966, the University moved to the top of Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
, the present location of its main campus.
The University's first building, the "Multi-Purpose Building", was constructed in 1966. It contained classrooms, halls, laboratories, a library with 110,000 books, and a cafeteria. Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
planned the campus to include all the University's facilities in one complex. More recently, additional buildings have been built nearby.
The University of Haifa has been ranked 10th among 36 academic institutes in Israel, according to Above Average ranking institute. This was a 6-point rise over the 2006 ranking. The ranking was based on feedback from 8,600 students.
Notable alumni
- Assad AssadAssad AssadAssad Assad is a Druze Israeli former officer, diplomat and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud between 1992 and 1996.-Biography:...
, former IDF colonel, diplomat and politician - Ashraf BarhomAshraf BarhomAshraf Barhom is a Palestinian actor from Tarshiha, which is in Galilee. He has starred in Paradise Now and The Syrian Bride. In 2007, he gained critical recognition for appearing alongside Jamie Foxx in the movie The Kingdom as Col. Faris Al-Ghazi. He has since appeared in Israeli films such as...
, an Israeli Arab actor who has starred in Paradise NowParadise NowParadise Now is a 2005 film directed by Hany Abu-Assad about two Palestinian men preparing for a suicide attack in Israel. It won a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category....
, The Syrian BrideThe Syrian BrideThe Syrian Bride is a 2004 film directed by Eran Riklis. The story deals with a Druze wedding and the troubles the politically unresolved situation creates for the personal lives of the people in and from the village...
. In 2007,starred alongside Jamie FoxxJamie FoxxEric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
in the movie The KingdomThe Kingdom (film)The Kingdom is a 2007 film directed by Peter Berg and starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, with Kyle Chandler, Jeremy Piven and Ali Suliman....
as Col. Faris Al-Ghazi. He has since appeared in Israeli films such as Ahava Colombianit (Colombian Love) and LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. - Gabi AshkenaziGabi AshkenaziGavriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi , was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces from 2007 to 2011.- Background and early life :...
, IDFIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
Chief of Staff - Meir DaganMeir DaganMeir Dagan is a former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad .-Biography:...
, director of the MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel.... - Abdulwahab DarawsheAbdulwahab DarawsheAbdulwahab Darawshe is an Israeli Arab former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment and the Arab Democratic Party between 1984 and 1999.-Biography:...
, politician - Yaakov EdriYaakov EdriYa'akov Edri is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Kadima. Formerly Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Minister of Health and a Minister without Portfolio, Edri is the Minister of Negev and Galilee Development in the current government....
, politician - Benjamin GantzBenjamin GantzRav Aluf Binyamin "Benny" Gantz is the current Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.-Personal History and Military Service:Born in Kfar Ahim, Israel in 1959, Gantz was drafted into the IDF in 1977. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade, and in 1979 became an...
, Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense ForcesThe Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel... - Carmi GillonCarmi GillonCarmi Gillon is an Israeli politician, and a former Israeli ambassador to Denmark and head of Shabak, the Internal General Security Service of Israel....
, politician, former Israeli ambassador to Denmark, and former head of the MossadMossadThe Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel.... - Ram KarmiRam KarmiRam Karmi is a leading Israeli architect. He is head of the Tel Aviv-based Ram Karmi Architects company, and is known for his Brutalist style.-Biography:Ram Karmi was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in Tel Aviv...
(born 1931), architect - Yochanan VollachYochanan VollachYochanan Vollach is a former Israeli footballer. He was a member of the Israeli national team that competed at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Today, Vollach is president of the Maccabi Haifa sport organization as well as being the president and CEO of Newlog, a subsidiary of Israeli shipping company...
, footballer, president of Maccabi HaifaMaccabi HaifaMaccabi Haifa is a sports club in Israel, founded in 1913, and part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football, Weightlifting, swimming, Tennis, Table tennis, Volleyball, Team handball,...
, CEO
Notable academics
- Shay Bushinsky
- Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
- Nitza Ben-DovNitza Ben-DovNitza Ben-Dov is Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of Haifa.- Biography :Nitza Ben-Dov was born in Tel Aviv to parents who were Holocaust survivors. Her father, Dov Fruchtman, was a teacher of literature and wrote a series of research studies on the oeuvre of S.Y....
- David BukayDavid BukayDavid Bukay is a Professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Haifa. He is the author of Islamic Fundamentalism and the Arab Political Culture...
- Aharon DolgopolskyAharon DolgopolskyAharon Dolgopolsky is a Russian-born Israeli comparative linguist and one of the modern founders of comparative Nostratic linguistics.Born in Moscow, he arrived at the long-forgotten Nostratic hypothesis in the 1960s, at around the same time but independently of Vladislav Illich-Svitych...
- Ronit MatalonRonit Matalon-About:Matalon was born in Ganei Tikva, Israel, the daughter of Egyptian-Jewish immigrants. Matalon studied literature and philosophy at Tel Aviv University and worked as a journalist for Haaretz newspaper, where she covered Gaza and the West Bank between 1987 and 1993. She is a resident of Tel...
- Ronny ReichRonny ReichRonny Reich is an Israeli archaeologist, excavator and scholar of the ancient remains of Jerusalem.-Education:Reich studied archaeology and geography at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His MA thesis Ronny Reich (born 1947) is an Israeli archaeologist, excavator and scholar of the ancient...
- Brenda ShafferBrenda ShafferBrenda Shaffer is an American and Israeli scholar, and the president-elect of the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association...
- Yuval SteinitzYuval SteinitzYuval Steinitz , is an Israeli academic and politician who has been a Knesset member for Likud since 1999. He is now the Finance Minister of Israel.-Biography:...
- Avigdor StematskyAvigdor StematskyAvigdor Stematsky was a Russian-born Israeli painter. He is considered one of the pioneers of Israeli abstract art.-Biography:Stematsky was born in 1908 in Odessa. In 1922, he immigrated to Palestine and attended the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem from 1926 to 1928. He joined the Massad group...
(1908–89), painter - A. B. YehoshuaA. B. YehoshuaAbraham B. Yehoshua is an Israeli novelist, essayist, and playwright. His pen name is A. B. Yehoshua.-Biography:...
(born 1936), novelist, essayist, and playwright - Natan Zach (born 1930), poet
See also
- List of universities in Israel
- Global U8 Consortium GU8
- Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and SocietyBucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and SocietyThe Bucerius Institute for Research of Contemporary German History and Society at the University of Haifa was established in 2001 by the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius and its chairman, Professor Dres. h.c. Manfred Lahnstein. The Institute is committed to the research of social and...