BOG Chairman Brad Bloom and President Ron Robin held a virtual Shanah Tova Toast with Presidents of the University of Haifa Friends Associations from the four corners of the world. “It’s wonderful to get together with everyone, especially our new members, as it really shows the strength and momentum of the University worldwide,” noted Chairman Bloom. "The University of Haifa is distinguishing itself by continuing to look to the future and charting a new path with assistance from our friends and supporters from around the world." This was the first of a series of networking meetings that will bring together the University's senior lay leadership to share information and promote a fruitful exchange of ideas.

The first Asian Friends Association of the University of Haifa opened its doors in Taiwan. Mr. CY Huang, prominent Taiwanese investment banker, will be President of the Taiwanese Friends Society. Mr. Huang is the Founder and President of FCC Partners, which helped facilitate a strategic alliance agreement between the University of Haifa and Tunghai University. “We are very grateful for your support of the State of Israel and the University," wrote President Robin. “Your pioneering spirit will enable the University of Haifa to further strengthen its presence in Asia, a region the University respects and holds dear.”

A Roadmap of the Multiversity: The ‘Start-up Nation’ can only continue to thrive if all groups in our society are represented – and this is our job!”

President Ron Robin shared his vision for the University of Haifa during an in-depth talk with Tammy Ben-Haim, Minister for Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C.on the historic peace deal with the United Arab Emirates; the increasingly important role that the Multiversity will play in strengthening Israeli society; and global challenges on our doorstep. Drawing from his experiences in establishing the thriving NYU Campus in Abu Dhabi, President Robin emphasized that the best and most innovative educational systems are those whose labs and classrooms embrace cultural diversity and remain open to new ideas. “As we continue our mission to create a positive impact on Israeli society and humanity, the University of Haifa will focus on expanding areas of excellence and empowering women and minority students. The Start-up Nation can only continue to thrive if all groups in society are represented – and this is our job... Building on our strengths, we are addressing the social impact exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as major global concerns such as climate change - a key driver of natural disasters and major threat to food security – aging populations, and imminent multi-year global recession. Solutions to these problems will come from universities.” WATCH THE FULL PODCAST HERE

Credit: Nitzan Zohar

Israel’s largest academic library, the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Library on the University's Mt. Carmel Campus, is partnering with Al-Manhal - the leading Arabic electronic information provider of scholarly and scientific publications from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The agreement includes trial access to Al-Manhal’s vast scholarly resources, which will make accessible thousands of publications from leading publishers in the Arab world.

Congratulations to Dr. Ruthie Abeliovich of the Department of Theater, on winning a € 1.5 million ERC Starting Grant (Horizons 2020) for her research exploring Yiddish popular theater at the turn of the 20th century. This is the first time an Israeli researcher has been awarded an ERC grant in this field of study. “The Yiddish popular theater played a crucial role in transporting cultural styles, ideas, and products,” explains Dr. Abeliovich. “To understand the complexity and scope of this theater, this project devises a groundbreaking analytical and embodied toolkit for studying theater history. We will incorporate into our analysis resources of various media and reenact a forgotten performance in a practice-based research.” MORE ON THE PROJECT HERE

Zonnenshain Scholarships for excellence in innovation and sustainability awarded to winners of the Green Entrepreneurship Challenge

A select number of outstanding Global MBA students were awarded scholarships from the Zonnenshain Family for their innovative projects promoting environmental and sustainability education. University of Haifa Governor and research fellow Dr. Avigdor Zonnenshain took part in judging the competition and awarded the prizes at the ceremony.

UofH celebrates 1^st anniversary of Haifa Innovation Labs
- the program for innovation and entrepreneurship at the
University of Haifa

In the year since the Haifa Innovation Labs (HIL) opened its doors, dozens of students from diverse majors and disciplines have benefited from mentorship programs and resources that help them develop solutions to socio-environmental challenges. HIL hosted an online event that provided student entrepreneurs from its various programs with an opportunity to present prototypes of their innovative products and services. We believe that the collective impact approach leads to innovation and long-term social change. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HIL FUND - THE UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT-LED VC FUND

Best wishes to you and your family for a
sweet, happy and healthy New Year!

With deep appreciation for your support of
students and faculty of the University of Haifa.