First “Arab University” in Israel
(October 2003)
On October 21, 2003, the first "Arab university"
in Israel officially opened in the village of Ibilin in the Western
Galilee. Under the terms of an operating license received this year
from Israel's Council of Higher Education, the university, part of the
Mar Elias Education Institutions, will also operate as an overseas branch
of the University of Indianapolis. Though described by university president
Dr. Elias Shakour as an Israeli Arab university, it is open to all students
- Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze.
Initially, the institution will have three departments:
computer studies, environmental studies and communications. It is authorized
to confer B.A. degrees in professional studies that are recognized in
Israel and the United States. The university plans to establish other
departments, including one in Holy Land Studies and Theology.
The first year, 80 students enrolled. Jewish instructors
made up about one-quarter of the faculty. The campus, at Mar Elias Educational
Institutions, also features a preschool facility, an elementary school
and secondary school, as well as engineering and teaching colleges.
Sources: Haaretz
(October 22, 2003) |