Tel-Hai Academic College

Tel-Hai Academic College is located in Tel Hai in the "Galilee Panhandle" in the northernmost portion of Israel, close to Kibbutz Kfar Giladi and north of the city Kiryat Shemona.

The college offers academic and continuing education program for approximately 4,000 students from the entire nation of Israel. According to the school's Website, "The high level of studies, personalized approach to teaching, and institution-wide standards of tolerance, community service and environmental protection have made it one of the fastest-growing schools in the country."

The college sees itself as "an agent of social and economic development in the highly strategic Upper Galilee region." Because of its location at the country's farthest northern border, Tel Hai's mandate extends beyond the area of education, to include opening of opportunities for individual and community development – and closing of the social and economic rifts in the remote region.

About 60 percent of the school's instructors live in the region. Some teachers from other Israeli universities fly up from points south on a weekly basis to teach at the College as well.

According to the College's Website, there is a steady annual increase in the student population. More than 70 percent of Tel Hai's students come from outside the Galilee. Minorities comprise about 10 percent of the school's student body.

Center for Learning Disabilities

In addition to offering courses in life, social and computer sciences and the humanities, in 1995, the college created The Center for Learning Disabled Students at Tel Hai Academic College, the first of its kind in Israel. The Center has been helping students with learning disabilities acquire the skills to thrive and excel in a competitive academic environment and realize their full, individual potential.

The Tel Hai Center for Learning Disabilities serves students with dyslexia, difficulties in organizing and processing written materials, in writing (dysgraphia), in expressing themselves in writing, in learning a foreign language, and many other types of learning disorders. Sophisticated diagnostic tests are used to pinpoint areas of difficulty, so that maximal time and energy can be spent on learning how to overcome them.

In 2003, the number of students at Tel-Hai Academic College had learning disabilities, and 22 percent of the school's Honor Students had learning disabilities.

During the 2006-2006 academic year, work began on a new campus and new dormitories for approximately more than 450 students in Kiryat Shemonah.

the "Tel hai" academic college was ranked 15th 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

Current Status

During the month-long war between Hezbollah forces in Southern Lebanon and Israel, the school closed and student went south. Summer courses and tests were cancelled, as well as the College's annual open house.

After the hostilities ceased, rebuilding the Galilee and repairing the damage inflicted by Hezbollah's rocket attacks became a national priority, and the school is taking a leading role in this effort.

Sources

* [http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=98639 United Jewish Communities' January 2004 OEP Project of the Month]

External links

* [http://www.telhai.ac.il/english/index.html The Tel-Hai Academic College Website (English Version)]