November News and Updates From AFRU

RRIS Alumna Eden Raviv Awarded Rhodes Scholarship

Congratulations to Eden Raviv on receiving one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, the Rhodes scholarship! The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford. Established in 1903, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the most prestigious international scholarship programs in the world. Eden grew up in Southern California and moved to Israel after high school. After serving in the IDF as a lone soldier, she studied Government in the Reichman University - International School and was top of her class all three years.

Eden was an honors fellow in The Argov Fellows Program in Leadership and Diplomacy. She participated in the Ambassador’s club, was part of the Young Israel Pugwash community and was the president of the RRIS Debate Society. Eden is interested in international relations and conflict resolution, and she looks forward to building relationships with Scholars from around the world and learning from their unique perspectives. We are so proud of you Eden! Good luck!

Approximately 4,800 Graduates Receive their Diplomas during Festive Ceremonies at Reichman University

Prof. Uriel Reichman to the graduates: "We now belong to the group of universities of Israel – we will compete with them and collaborate with them to promote research, novel approaches, and new horizons for the future leadership of the country."

The procession was led by the deans and faculty members, headed by Prof. Uriel Reichman, chairman of the board and founding President of Reichman University; Prof. Rafi Melnick, Provost and acting President, and Dr. Ayelet Ben Ezer, CEO and Vice President. Behind them marched the excited graduates, divided according to the various schools and programs. Prof. Reichman, Herzliya Mayor Mr. Moshe Fadlon, and Ricci Cohen, valedictorian and former chair of the Student Union, spoke at the ceremony.

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October News and Updates from American Friends of Reichman University

Prof. Uriel Reichman Concludes his term as President of Reichman University

Prof. Uriel Reichman, President and Founder of Reichman University (IDC Herzliya), has announced that, effective immediately, he is concluding his term as president. This announcement comes in the wake of the Council for Higher Education’s official recognition of the institution as a university about two weeks ago, and the change of its name from IDC Herzliya to Reichman University.

Prof. Reichman summed up his remarks by saying, “IDC Herzliya was established as a Zionist university, hence our educational outlook, which is expressed in the words ‘freedom and responsibility.’ We teach our students to go out into the world with faith in themselves and their friends. To be entrepreneurs and not accept the status quo if they don’t like it. To live a life of meaning and personal fulfillment of their aspirations, while at the same time caring first and foremost for those who cannot help themselves. And to be willing to protect, physically and morally, the state and its values. This is the foundation of principles on which we built our university, and the 35,000 graduates of IDC Herzliya carry these values with them.”

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It's Official IDC Herzliya is Recognized as a University!

It's official: 27 years after its establishment, IDC Herzliya has realized its vision by becoming officially recognized as a university!

The Council for Higher Education of Israel has announced a resolution today to officially recognize IDC Herzliya as a university. The council’s decision comes in the wake of a recommendation from a special committee that was set up to examine IDC's status as a university.

And it comes 27 years after the institute was established by Prof. Uriel Reichman, who modeled it after elite American universities with the aim of becoming the first private university in Israel – an independent, academic, non-profit institution that is not dependent on a government budget; instead its activities are funded by tuition money and donations.

A committee of experts that examined the issue of whether to recognize IDC Herzliya as a university submitted a report to the Council for Higher Education, which stated: "The Interdisciplinary Center is fit to be a university, as it guarantees a high academic level and high-level research that meet required standards for a university. Therefore, we unanimously and without reservation recommend to the Council for Higher Education that IDC Herzliya be granted recognition as a university. Including IDC Herzliya among Israel’s research universities will bring honor to the country and to its system of higher education.”

Chairman of the Board of Directors of IDC Herzliya, Prof. Amnon Rubinstein: “Recognizing IDC as a university is an important milestone in the evolution of Israel’s system of higher education. Were it not for Prof. Reichmann, who conceived of and carried out IDC’s establishment with extraordinary talent and dedication, the institute would have never existed. No one is more deserving to be the namesake of this university.”

To read the official Press Release from JPost, click here and from IDC Herzliya click here.