University of Haifa

Infobox_University
name =The University of Haifa


native_name =אוניברסיטת חיפה
motto =מצויינות אקדמית מתחילה ביחס אישי ("Academic Excellence with a Personal Touch")
established =1963
type =Public
chancellor =Eliezer Rafaeli
president =Aharon Ben-Zeev
rector =Yossi Ben-Artzi
city =Haifa
country =Israel
undergrad =
postgrad =
faculty =
campus =Urban, Parks
free_label =
website = [http://www.haifa.ac.il/ www.haifa.ac.il/] The University of Haifa ( _he. אוניברסיטת חיפה) is a university in Haifa, Israel.

About 16,500 undergraduate and graduate students study in the university a wide variety of topics, specializing in social sciences, humanities, law and education. The University is broadly divided into six Faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, [http://law.haifa.ac.il 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 populations on and off campus.

The University of Haifa is home to a vibrant archeology and art museum: the Hecht museum, several very active research centers and institutions, such as the Evolution Institute, [http://infosoc.haifa.ac.il 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 research center on its campus.

History of the University

The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by the mayor of the city of Haifa Abba Hushi, under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 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 teachers, 50 out of them were Haifa residents.

In 1967, the Institute awarded a diploma to its first graduates, 75 in number, three quarters of whom intended to be teachers.

The first home of the Institute was in Erdstein House in the Hadar Hacarmel section of Haifa, but it soon became too crowded. The University moved to Merkaz Hakarmel, and was housed in the building that now serves the Fifth Municipal High School. In 1966 the University moved to the top of Mount Carmel, where its current main campus is located.

The institution's first building, the "Multi-purpose Building", was erected in 1966. It contained classrooms, halls, laboratories, a library with 110,000 books, and a cafeteria. The well-known Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer planned the campus, to include all the University's facilities in one complex.

The university of haifa has been ranked 10th among 36 academic institutes in Israel, according to Above Average ranking institutefact|date=August 2008. This was a 6 point rise over the 2006 ranking. The ranking was based on feedback from 8,600 students.

Notable alumni

* Benjamin Gantz, Commander of the GOC Army Headquarters
* Yochanan Vollach, footballer, president of Maccabi Haifa, CEO
* Ronit Matalon, author

Notable academics

* Brenda Shaffer

ee also

* List of universities in Israel
* Global U8 Consortium GU8

External links

* [http://www.haifa.ac.il/ The University of Haifa homepage]
* [http://law.haifa.ac.il/ The University of Haifa, Faculty of Law]
* [http://haifalawfaculty.blogspot.com/ The University of Haifa, Faculty of Law BLOG]
* [http://gsb.haifa.ac.il/ The University of Haifa, Graduate School of Business]
* [http://hevra.haifa.ac.il/poli/ The University of Haifa, School of Political Sciences]
* [http://methods.haifa.ac.il/ The University of Haifa, University Forum on Research Methods]
* [http://mushecht.haifa.ac.il/hecht/art/Artist-Collection-eng.aspx?id=5 Hecht Museum]