Nice to meet you – we’re the International Office
Shana Tova,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is investing in internationalization in order to preserve its standing as a leading research university, to promote excellence in teaching and research, and as means to generate income . To this end, the International Office, established in November 2017, is iworking in cooperation with the university community to create a thriving and vital international campus, attended by both international students alongside local students.
The International Office is cooperating with all the university units to initiate, strengthen and expand collaborations with first-rate universities worldwide, increasing the number of international students, creating opportunities for staff and students to study and specialize abroad, and at the same time, works untiringly to improve the infrastructures and services granted to international students by the university.
With the start of the upcoming academic year, we are happy to share the opportunities, future plans and some of the International Office’s prominent achievements in 2018/2019.
1. Traveling the world: overseas study tours and student exchanges
In the photo: Professor Yigal Bronner, Hebrew University students and locals during a study tour to Western India for the course 'The Western Frontiers: Caves, Temples, And Protest Movements', under the guidance of Professor David Shulman and Professor Yigal Bronner from the Faculty of Humanities.
The International Office encourages the international experience granted to the University's students and staff through student exchanges, faculty exchanges via the Erasmus+ program and in overseas study tours by providing financial support, imparting global skills, and strengthening collaborations with leading global academic institutions for the purposes of joint research and teaching.
The International Office encourages the international experience granted to the University's students and staff through student exchanges, faculty exchanges via the Erasmus+ program and in overseas study tours by providing financial support, imparting global skills, and strengthening collaborations with leading global academic institutions for the purposes of joint research and teaching. So, what happened in 2018/2019? We expanded!
- The number of partner universities abroad and destination countries
- The grants awarded by the International Office to outgoing students
- The number of overseas study tours to more remote and more diverse destinations
Student Exchanges in Numbers: Did You Know?
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In 2018/2019, 146 Israeli students went abroad on student exchanges via the International Office:
- Half of them from the Faculty of Social Sciences
- International women power: more women than men went abroad (women 57%, men 43%)
- A total of 1,500 academic hours studied abroad
- In 2019/2020, 178 Israeli students are scheduled to go abroad to 62 universities. This represents 22% growth in the number of outgoing Israeli students compared to last year.
- Yes, and with more scholarships!
- Yes, again with a female majority going on exchanges!
- Some 269 international students came to study at the Hebrew University as part of student exchanges: an increase of 156% over 2017/2018!
In themeantime, you are invited to follow the #HUJI Connection on the university's Facebook page, operated by the Marketing and Media Department.
With the start of the first semester, the International Office will issue a call for applications for student exchanges.
For more information about student exchanges to Europe, contact Liat Gabai,
Coordinator of Outgoing Students liatg@savion.huji.ac.il
For information on student exchanges to destinations other than Europe and on summer courses, contact Shachar Kessler, Coordinator of Outgoing Student Exchanges and Academic Collaboration with China shachark@savion.huji.ac.il
Overseas Study Tours: Hola Ecuador
The International Office is issuing calls for applications and granting financial support to Hebrew University departments that offer courses incorporating overseas study tours. Study tours help to strengthen the university's international ties and are conducive to building joint projects between the students and colleagues across the globe, while providing students with a meaningful international experience.
In 2018/2019, the International Office granted support to 13 courses that incorporated an overseas study tour element, and another 10 courses have already been approved for 2019/2020 to a diverse range of countries, including Ecuador, Japan, India, South Korea, the United States and European countries.
In the photograph: Dr. Roi Fishel from the University of London lectures Hebrew University students during a study tour to India in the course: 'The Western Frontiers: Caves, Temples, and Protest Movements'
The course entitled 'The Third Traveler to Western India' for Hebrew University students in the Department of Asian Studies, the Department of Comparative Religion and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology under the direction of Professor David Shulman and Professor Yigal Bronner, on this occasion centered on the state of Maharashtra in western India. Professor Bronner shares the following: "We were lucky to be among half a million faithful who welcomed us in their midst with love, and made place for us in a sea of people: whoever was there will never forget it".
We will be happy to help you set up overseas study tours that your students will also never forget.
Another call for proposals for study tours abroad will be issued in the second semester.
For more information, contact Mala Braslavsky, International Programs at Malab@savion.huji.ac.il.
2. Erasmus+: More Resources, More Collaborations
In the photograph: Elinor Drachsler, Research and Scientific Relations Coordinator in the Faculty of Medicine and colleagues in a partners week at Radboud University in the Netherlands as part of the Erasmus+ program.
"It was amazing! Every day, there were several workshops, with social activities in the evening. Over and above the fact that it is personally and professionally enriching, working relationships were formed with the university I was hosted at." Elinor Drachsler, from the Faculty of Medicine, shared this upon her return from Radboud University in the Netherlands, where she participated in Erasmus+, the European Union's flagship program for the advancement of higher education. Since her return, Elinor also hosted a reciprocal group of PhD students from Radboud university, who were keen to see the Hebrew University first hand and learn about research and development opportunities.
So, what did we have in 2018/2019? We received more!
- In 2018/2019, €500,000 was granted for Hebrew University student and staff mobility through the Erasmus+ program, and over 50 collaboration agreements were signed with European universities.
The university has partnered in the Erasmus+ program in student and staff mobility (reciprocal) since 2015, promoting collaborations with academic institutions in Europe and helping to build international infrastructures.
Erasmus+: What's New In 2018/2019? We Received More!
More resources allocated by the European Union to the Middle East generally, and to Israel, in particular
- More resources allocated by the European Union to the Middle East generally, and to Israel, in particular
- More inquiries about collaborations and exchange agreements with European universities
- Greater interest shown by the university's units in promoting Erasmus+ agreements
- More agreements were signed with new media and with leading universities
More Collaborations, More Internationalization
In 2018/2019, 51 agreements were signed with universities in Europe, including new countries and cities such as Scotland, Sweden and Barcelona, in the range of academic areas offered at the Hebrew University. Some of the agreements are the result of collaborations between staff researchers and the program, enabling the consolidation of institutional ties, and the expansion and strengthening of cooperation through mobility between the institutions for teaching, research and training purposes.
More staff on the Erasmus+ program OR More scholarships and grants for Hebrew University staff
Staff exchanges are vital to building, developing and strengthening academic cooperation with leading institutions for joint research and teaching purposes.
In 2018/2019, 68 staff members went on an exchange program, comprising of 42 academic staff and 25 administrative staff, and €105,400 on average was invested in them (one-time scholarships and grant).
In 2019/2020, 90 staff members will go abroad on exchange programs (52 academic staff and 38 administrative staff), 30% more than in the previous year!
More Scholarships and Grants to Hebrew University Students
A total of 71 Israeli students went abroad in the Erasmus+ program in 2018/2019, representing an increase of 220% over the past three years.
In 2019/2020, some 84 students will go abroad in the Erasmus+ program, with a total investment of €390,000 in scholarships and grants.
With the start of the first semester, the International Office will issue calls for applications for academic staff, administrative staff and student exchanges. For more information about the Erasmus+ program, contact Ayala Feinmesser-Mizrahi, Coordinator for Erasmus+ and Agreements ayalafm@savion.huji.ac.il
3. More Agreements, More Opportunities
The International Office serves as fertile ground for collaborations that energize and enrich the academic environment of the student body, the teaching staff, and the visitors from abroad. In 2019/2020, we will continue to build, promote and strengthen strategic cooperation with leading institutions worldwide.
The International Office: Building, Advancing and Strengthening Strategic Collaborations
The International Office serves as fertile ground for collaborations that energize and enrich the academic environment of the student body, the teaching staff, and the visitors from abroad. The university has today a variety of agreements with over 200 universities in more than 50 countries in 5 continents. In 2019/2020, we will continue to build, promote and strengthen strategic cooperation with leading institutions worldwide.
At the same time, we offer all the university units administrative support, assistance in contractual matters, communication with the international office of the partner university, and coordination and counseling regarding all the collaborations that they wish to pursue. There are five types of agreements with a varied range of institutions worldwide, including Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation, student exchange agreements, staff exchange agreements, , joint degree agreements, and research cooperation agreements.
One of the Hebrew University's first and foremost strategic partners is the Freie Universitaet Berlin (FUB), Germany, since 2011. The cooperation includes ten different agreements and the same number of joint academic study programs in all subject areas.
Examples of agreements: student exchanges, manager exchanges, joint doctoral programs, joint post-doctoral program, joint workshops and seminars.
Interested in building a new collaboration of your own? For support on building collaborations, contact Ayala Feinmesser-Mizrahi, Coordinator for Erasmus+ and Agreements at ayalafm@savion.huji.ac.il
4. Providing International Students With The Whole Service Package
"The service package gives me the opportunity to personally attend to the student experience in Israel and on campus, and to ensure that the students are left with good memories." In the photograph: Gal Lombrozo (right), SSP Coordinator for International Research Students at the Rothberg International School, and Juliane Viégas, a PhD student in genetics from Brazil, during a field trip of over 50 international students to the Valley of Elah and a brewery.
In 2017/2018, the International Office launched the international student service package in order to ease the integration of the international students in Israel by providing guidance and support before arrival in Israel, as well as subsequently, in the form of social events, assistance in emergencies, and regular updates on security events in Israel during their studies and more. The service package is currently offered to all the international students, and in 2019/2020, will be extended to their spouses as well.
Putting Our Heart into It and Providing International Students with The Whole Service Package
The Rothberg International School grants the service package to all the international students at the Hebrew University, with the exception of the international students in the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, which is provided by the International School of Agricultural Sciences,. The service package includes assistance with health insurance, dormitories, opening of a bank account in Israel and more. Following their arrival in Israel, international students are offed of a rich array of activities designed especially for them: celebration of public holidays together, organized tours of the campus, Jerusalem and Israel, meeting local students in conjunction with the Israel Students Union and more.
International students and lecturers are also afforded additional services by the International Office, including counseling and guidance in the event of difficulty obtaining the various types of visas, a visa extension service, housing of international lecturers and guests in guest apartments in collaboration with the Hosting Arrangements Unit.
For more information on our service package:
For all students of the Hebrew University (apart from the Agricultural Sciences):
The Rothberg International School service package:
Gal Lombrozo | Support for International Research Students phdlife@savion.huji.ac.il
Eli Benjamin Israel | Graduate Social Coordinator gradlife@savion.huji.ac.il
The International School of Agricultural Sciences:
International Social Coordinator Hagar Zaid hagarza@savion.huji.ac.il
Visas & outgoing exchange students Mahyan Gon mahyang@savion.huji.ac.il
International Program Coordinator Noa Schwarzwald noapl@savion.huji.ac.il
For Faculty counseling on visas, visa extension services for international post-doctoral students, guests and lecturers, housing in guest apartments and payment of lecturers for short and long periods:
Contact the International Office:
Limor Levy, International Liaisons Coordinator limorl@savion.huji.ac.il
Visa extension services for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students: Oshrit Antebi, Office Coordinator oshritan@savion.huji.ac.il
5. Infrastructures: Building A Welcoming and Inviting Campusfor An International Audience
The International Office makes an ongoing effort to assist in the translation of websites, documents and additional systems and help access the university to an international public. For the benefit of the international students and international staff, The Authority for Computation, Communications & Information made the HUJIApp available in English for the first time in 2018/2019. In addition, in cooperation with the Human Resources Division, the international office provides dedicated training to the international faculty.
A Welcoming and More Inviting Campus
English App for the first time: in collaboration with The Authority for Computation, Communications & Information and the Unit of Tuition and Student Payments, the university launched an English version of the HUJIApp in the past year, affording Hebrew University students for the first time, extensive access to personal information, completing tuition payments by credit card and more. In 2019/2020, registration forms in English will be incorporated in the app for both doctoral and post-doctoral students.
Translation services: the International Office offers English translation services for circulars, notices, websites and more.
Training for administrative staff: this past year, we continued to hold the "Internationalism in Academia" course, run by the International Office manager, Jane Turner, as well as another course for students and administrative staff in the faculties and administrative units. In 2019/2020, a course of practical English will be added for staff who support international students.
For more information on infrastructure issues, contact Maayan Levhar, Head of Budgets, Projects, & Data maayanlevh@savion.huji.ac.il
For translations please send your request to joelle.milman@mail.huji.ac.il
6. More Organized Activities, More Projects, More Special Events
The International Office runs a variety of events in Israel and abroad to attract audiences expressing an interest in the Hebrew University and to draw Hebrew University students and staff to internationalism and to the possibility of exchanges. In the past year, the International Office held a Study in China Fair on campus, a partners week with the participation of 18 institutions from Europe and the Far East, special events for candidates for student exchanges, and the Albert Einstein exhibition in China in conjunction with the Einstein Archives.
Pictured (second from right): Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, former president of the Hebrew University and Scientific Curator of the Einstein Exhibition in China
The Year That Was and The Year That Will Be: Projects and Special Events
Albert Einstein exhibition in China: overseen by the Albert Einstein Archives and the International Marketing Section, the Hebrew University launched the Albert Einstein – Life in Four Dimensions exhibition in Shanghai on August 1, 2019, based on the Einstein Archive collections located at the University. The exhibition is dedicated to Albert Einstein, his life, the science that he produced, and how he changed the world. Einstein's connection as one of the founding fathers of the University is also presented.
In 2019/2020, the University will expand its activities to the Chinese audience in order to strengthen scientific and research ties and attract outstanding Chinese students to studying at the Hebrew University; these efforts will include activities in the Chinese social networks and in the Chinese media.
Hosting of universities from China at a Study in China Fair:
80 representatives from 30 leading Chinese universities, including the University of Peking, University of Beijing and the Wuhan University visited the Mount Scopus campus on May 13 to participate in the Study in China Fair aimed at expanding international cooperation with academic institutions in China.
The event was organized jointly with the China Education Association for International Exchange, and also included a seminar, lectures and a networking event for Hebrew University researchers and the Chinese representatives.
Exchanging experiences too
As part of the student exchange fair held on April 2, 2019, our students returning from overseas exchange programs traded their experiences and tips with Israeli students who will be going on exchange programs and with international students who are in Israel on exchange programs.
Partners week and student exchanges fair: get ready for partners week! From November 17-21 2019 we will be hosting 43 representatives from 23 overseas universities, introducing the Hebrew University to them, and discussing possibilities for cooperation. For the first time this year, there will be two courses: one for delegates from the international offices of the international institutions and a second for librarians. As part of the partners week, on November 20 we will hold a student exchange fair at the forum.
7. Getting the Message Across: Establishing our International Marketing Department
An International Marketing department was established in 2018/2019 to attract international students to degree and research programs at the Hebrew University. The markets targeted in this effort were: China, North America, India, Germany and the countries of northern Europe.
The department is currently working vigorously to set up the international marketing infrastructures, including digital marketing and publicity, establishing an international marketing call center, a new website for the international office, creation of up-to-date international marketing materials, work with a leading PR company in China, participation in fairs and more.
8. China: A Strategic Destination for International Cooperation
The Hebrew University has defined China as a strategic destination for international cooperation, and the International Office therefore encourages, supports and helps develop ties and channels for cooperation with academic institutions and organizations in China. We are working on strengthening the Hebrew University's presence in China and on transforming it into a recognized and highly regarded institution in the Chinese academic world.
40 Agreements With 30 Institutions and Bodies in China
The International Office offers support with creating contacts, managing the communication between the parties, formulating agreements, and implementing cooperation. We make information about study options and relevant scholarships for studying at the Hebrew University and in China accessible to Chinese and Israeli students. We are now working to expand the current offerings and to create new and attractive options for students in an array of disciplines and studies.
Looking back at 2018/2019:
- We launched a program to fund joint research in agriculture and nanotechnology with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of our key partners in China. In addition, a joint doctoral program in the medical sciences was launched with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
- In the past academic year, 7 agreements were signed with academic institutions in China.
- We built student exchange programs, including with 4 of the leading universities in China. Student exchange agreements exist both at the university level, and at the specific faculty level.
- Our rep in China: we hired a Hebrew University representative who lives in Shanghai, Mrs[ot1] . Yifat Propper, to accompany Hebrew University delegations throughout China, and to promote development of research collaborations with existing and prospective partners in China.
- Visits by Chinese delegations: in 2018/2019, we hosted two visits per month on average, including groups of students from Peking University and Zhejiang University (among the top three in China), representatives of the Shanghai Municipal Education Committee, senior representatives from the social sciences in the Chinese academia, heads of the AI Center at Tsinghua University (ranked first in China) and more.
Looking to the future: vision and goals for the 2019/2020 academic year
The International Office will continue to strive to strengthen collaborations and advance existing ties, seek to develop new ties, support and help parties at the Hebrew University wishing to develop or establish ties with China. In addition, we will make information available to our students and help them go abroad and experience studies and research in China, reach out to more outstanding Chinese students, and make information about studies and research at the Hebrew University accessible to them.
9. Shana Tova
We are proud that 2018/2019 saw a record number of international students coming to study at the Hebrew University for advanced degrees, for short programs and in the framework of student exchanges from a wide diversity of countries, including the United States, China, Germany, South Korea, India, and African countries.
In honor of the new year, the International Office warmly embraces and wishes all our 269 international students who have joined the Hebrew University's family an enjoyable and enriching Shana Tova.
Best wishes for a fruitful and successful new academic year,
The Hebrew University's International Office