The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Hebrew: ×"מרכז ×"×'×™× ×ª×—×•×ž×™ ×"רצלי×"‎‎ Ha-Merkaz ha-Bentehumi Hertseliyya; abbreviated IDC Herzliya) is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian research university (academic college, that grants undergraduate and post-graduate degrees, but not doctorates) in Herzliya, Israel. It was founded in 1994 by Uriel Reichman. It is located at Herzliya, in the Tel Aviv District, and is classified as an independent non-budgeted academic institution.
IDC Herzliya has 8,000 students currently enrolled for undergraduate and graduate degrees, including 2,000 international students from 86 countries around the world.
In 2014 the IDC Herzliya was ranked the most successful academic start-up institution in Israel and outside of the United States, ranking first in Israel and twenty one in the world. In the same year IDC law graduates achieved the highest passing rate at the national bar examination of all Israeli academic institutions. Moreover, the IDC Herzliya has been ranked first of 66 Israeli academic institutions in terms of student satisfaction for four consecutive years. In addition, the IDC Herzliya has been the only academic institution in the world who has won the international Jean Pictet International Humanitarian Law competition, organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross, in consecutive years, winning it twice in 2010 and 2011.
History
The campus is located in Herzliya, six miles north of Tel Aviv, on the grounds of a former Israeli Air Force base that served as the first fighter base during the 1948 Arabâ€"Israeli War, and then as the main Anti-aircraft warfare school until 1992.
The first class at IDC Herzliya consisted of 360 students. Over the years, leading professors from Israel and the US have joined the faculty, additional schools have been opened and the student body has grown to 6,500. IDC Herzliya was founded on the belief that an independent nonprofit college unfettered by bureaucracy and an external agenda could make a significant contribution to Israeli society and its future leadership. IDC offers innovative interdisciplinary degree programs that employ advanced information technology while providing a solid understanding of the region and its geopolitical relevance in the world.
The IDC Herzliya motto is “Liberty and Responsibility." The school logo is based on the flag that Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, proposed for the Jewish state.
In 2012, Israel Chemicals helped to found the School of Sustainability, which will focus on environmentally conscious business development and entrepreneurship. Graduates will be awarded a BA in sustainability studies.
Administration
Uriel Reichman, president and founder of IDC Herzliya, holds a JSD from the University of Chicago and is the former dean of the Law Faculty at Tel Aviv University. Rafi Melnick is the provost.Amnon Rubinstein, chairperson of the Appointments Committee, is a former Israeli minister of education. Aharon Barak, president emeritus of the Israeli Supreme Court, is a member of the Higher Academic Committee and a lecturer at the Radzyner School of Law at IDC.
Schools
IDC Herzliya offers degrees in law, business, government, computer science, communications, economics and psychology. IDC Herzliya’s interdisciplinary programs equip students with in-depth knowledge in their areas of study and the ability to work effectively across disciplines.
IDC Herzliya consists of the Radzyner Law School, Arison School of Business, Efi Arazi School of Computer Science, Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Tiomkin School of Economics, School of Sustainability Founded by Israel Corp., ICL & ORL, and the Raphael Recanati International School (RRIS).
Raphael Recanati International School
The Raphael Recanati International School (RRIS) offers programs in English for overseas students. International students learn side by side with Israelis and are involved in all aspects of campus life. The Raphael Recanati International School has grown significantly and now makes up one-fourth of the student body at IDC Herzliya.
Programs offered by RRIS:
Special Programs
IDC Herzliya offers a variety of leadership programs:
Research
IDC Herzliya is home to 23 research institutes and centers:
Student life
Approximately one quarter of the students on campus hail from outside Israel. IDC Herzliya students come from 83 countries to study at the Raphael Recanati International School. IDC Herzliya students initiate, lead and participate in dozens of activities on behalf of the community, including legal aid clinics to help those of limited financial means; programs to mentor and tutor elementary-school pupils; activities for at-risk youth; the ensemble project in which students teach classical music in an underprivileged neighborhood in the city; and dozens of other volunteer initiatives that students launched on behalf of the weaker sectors of the community. Students are also active in a variety of clubs and performing arts groups.
In 2009, Alpha Epsilon Pi, an international Jewish fraternity, opened a branch at IDC, the first college fraternity in Israel.
Debate club
The Debate Club of the IDC Herzliya is a framework designed to provide the qualifications necessary in the field of speech and rhetoric. In 2012, the debate team of the Raphael Recanati international school won second place in the European championships in Belgrade. It was the only team from Israel to reach the final (in the category of “English as a second languageâ€).
IDC Entrepreneurship Club
The IDC Entrepreneurship Club (IEC) is a student-run platform for creating and encouraging entrepreneurship among IDC Herzliya students and nurturing a culture of entrepreneurship on campus. The club strives to provide each student with practical tools and knowledge in various fields of entrepreneurship. The club also facilitates networking with other entrepreneurial students and with frontrunners in the fields of technology and business.
The IEC is host to ten entrepreneurship programs:
- Momentum - The IEC's venture acceleration and mentorship program
- Startup Class - A business entrepreneurship program
- Artemis - A program to empower and encourage Female Entrepreneurship
- SheCodes (IDC Chapter) - A program for encouraging and teaching women how to code and develop technological ventures
- Business Makeover - A consulting program for small businesses in Herzliya
- GreenBiz - A program for sustainable entrepreneurship & clean tech
- AppGrading Society - A six-week social tech competition, for providing technological solutions for the elderly
- SEE IEC - A social entrepreneurship empowerment program
- Skillset - Technological workshops and advanced tech tools for entrepreneurs
- Workshops - A practical business & managing tools workshop program
The IEC also hosts a number of events every year. Some of the events include:
- TEDxIDC
- HackIDC
- Global Game Jam
- Pitch Night
- Inspiration Day
Sports
In 2012, IDC Herzliya won first place for women’s basketball, first place for men’s beach volleyball, first place men and women’s windsurf and second place for debate.
Programs
Notable faculty
- Ron Shachar, dean of the Arison School of Business
- Sharon Rabin-Margalioth, dean of the Radzyner School of Law
- Tami Tamir, dean of the Efi Arazi School of Computer Science
- Alex Mintz, Former dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy
- Noam Lemelshtrich-Latar, founding dean of the Sammy Ofer School of Communications
- Mario Mikulincer, founding dean of the School of Psychology
- Zvi Eckstein, dean of the Tiomkin School of Economics and the Arison School of Business, previously served as Deputy Governor Bank of Israel and as a lecturer in leading U.S. universities, including Yale, Carnegie - Mellon and Boston University
- Jonathan Davis, head of the Raphael Recanati International School
- Aharon Barak, former President of the Israeli Supreme Court
- Amnon Rubinstein, former Israeli minister of communications and education
- Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Security
- Shavit Matias, former Deputy Attorney General of Israel
- Boaz Ganor, dean of the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Executive Director of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism [ICT]
- Keren Eyal, Researcher on sex and socialization subjects, currently lecturing on propaganda
- Tal Ben-Shahar, author and lecturer on positive psychology
- Shaul Shay, military historian
- Yossi Maaravi, author and lecturer on negotiation, decision making and creativity
Notable alumni
- Yael Arad, Olympic judoka
- Vered Buskila, Olympic sailor
- Roni Duani, Israeli singer
- Gal Gadot, actress
- Yoel Hasson, Member of the Knesset (Kadima)
- Yair Netanyahu, son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- Yoel Razvozov, Olympic judoka, Member of the Knesset (Yesh Atid)
- Steven Sotloff, journalist
- Ariel Ze'evi, Olympic judoka
- Isaac Toussier, Comedian
- Melih Bahar, Philantropist
- Iftach Ian Amit, Information Security Expert
See also
- List of universities and colleges in Israel
- Lauder school of Government
References
External links
- Interdisciplinary Center
- IDC Student Union