The Future University

Prof. Uriel Reichman

Starting Points

• Vision

A world-class interdisciplinary university that will serve the State of Israel and the Jewish people

• An Independent Institution

A non-profit organization that is not funded by public or state funds

 • A Social Institution

University is not an "ivory tower" but an institution rooted in and connected to society

Starting Points

• The Vision's Primary Application

Training Israeli society's future leadership

• The Importance of Academic Research

- Academic research is the key to advancing man and society

- The level of the lecturers'  research affects teaching creativity and progress

Starting Points

Team Work

Immigration Absorption

Freedom & Responsibility

Zionism

Unique Admission

Policy

Students as Partners

Fundamental Principles

Highest Teaching Level

Practical Knowledge

Interdisciplinary Education

International Horizon

Attitude Towards Students

Building on Existing Foundations

Academic Innovation

• Interdisciplinary programs• Unique admission categories • Treating students as partners • Leading lecturers and researchers • The International School • Leadership training: the Zell Entrepreneurship

Program, the Argov Fellows Program, the Rabin Leadership Program

• The first university in Israel to offer full academic programs in English

• 25% of IDC students come from 86 countries and speak 28 languages

• Students exchange programs with over 60 universities worldwide

• Global collaborations with Wharton, Princeton, Harvard and more

International Horizon

Leadership & Entrepreneurship

• Zell Program – Business Entrepreneurship• Rabin Leadership Program- Public and Social

Entrepreneurship• Media Innovation Lab - New Digital Media,

Communication and Robotics • Argov Fellows Program in Leadership and

Diplomacy• The Entrepreneurship Club

Alumni Ventures

The Need for a New Academic Structure

Human Biology

Sustainability

Technology Globalization

Significant Changes

Human Biology

Significant Changes

• Brain, genetic and stem cell research will have great impact on human behavior and ability 

• Organ manufacturing and transplants, the use of mechanical prostheses and incorporating biological computers in the human body for different purposes 

• This field generates massive investments and raises many ethical and practical problems

Sustainability

Technology

Globalization

Significant Changes

Human Biology

Sustainability

Technology

Globalization

• Global warming, diminishing water sources, water pollution, energy problems, urbanization and shrinking agricultural lands

• As global population nears 8 billion people, some 1 billion already experience hunger

• Dealing with food shortage and dwindling natural resources has prompted research and investments worldwide

Technology

Significant Changes

• The potential of communication and information computerization has yet to be fully tapped 

• Business, politics, research, medicine and entertainment are continuously evolving

• 3-D printers, advanced robotics and computer applications for natural sciences contribute to the continuous revolution

Human Biology

Sustainability

Globalization

Globalization

Significant Changes

• Understanding global economy, growing interdependence, mass migration and demographic changes, international collaborations, the rise of international law, mutual cultural influences, etc. 

• This mandates new strategies, cultural understanding and the ability to cooperate and act in the global reality

 

Human Biology

Sustainability

Technology

Training Students to Understand

Global Changes

Developing New Disciplines Focused on

Fundamental Issues for Mankind

The State• Technological advancements and globalization

entice and pressure our top graduates to work overseas  

• Historical and national awareness have been eroded• We must bolster historical awareness, education for

social commitment and an academic approach to Israel's problems

• The foreseen growth in socioeconomic gaps requires education for mutual responsibility and guarantee

The Changes' Effect

The Graduates

• Unemployment vs. opportunities for those with the right training and skills

• IDC's duty to train future leadership in a relevant manner (to function in an ever-changing reality) 

The Students

• Are skilled in independently acquiring knowledge

• Have limited patience for lectures and reading books

• Are practically and technologically oriented

• Are more eager to use teaching technologies than lecturers

The Changes' Effect

Academic Institutions

• New lecture halls technology

• Blended Teaching - Distance learning options for quality courses

• Online communication methods between students, and between students, lecturers and teaching assistants 

• Stressing dialogue-based, interactive teaching in small groups, rearranging classrooms etc.

The Importance of Change

• Avoiding progress may render an academic institution anachronistic

• Remaining an academic vanguard is essential to our future

The Changes' Effect

Each school will review and update its curriculum to ensure its relevance to the challenges posed by the 21st century

Curriculum Relevance

An Interdisciplinary Seminar for Honor Students on Pivotal

Issues for Mankind

Offering 5-10% of graduates the opportunity to

pursue practical development as

part of an optional fourth academic

year 

Developing Learning Technologies

Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT)

Advanced Learning Technologies (ALT)Main Activities

Thank You!