The 2024-2025 academic year will begin on Sunday, October 27 with the university’s traditional orientation week for incoming students. This year, approximately 8,400 students will be studying at the university, 2,400 of whom have come from 90 countries to study the international school. About 3,400 are new students pursuing first, second and third (Ph.D.) degrees.
Reichman University will commence the 2024-2025 academic year with its ongoing commitment to Zionism and excellence. Reichman University was founded in 1994 by Prof. Uriel Reichman to train the future leadership of the State of Israel. Founded with a social mission and a dedication to training the future leadership of the State of Israel, Reichman University’s guiding values have taken on real and profound meaning in the wake of the Swords of Iron war. The entire university community — the women and men of the security forces and the civil society volunteers — dropped everything and rallied to serve and protect the country. They demonstrated leadership, courage, and unwavering integrity, setting a powerful personal example.
President of Reichman University, Prof. Boaz Ganor: “I am deeply moved to open this academic year alongside the women and men of the security forces, in both regular and reserve duty, who are returning to the classroom after a year of determined fighting on all fronts. Your presence here is the strongest proof that we as a people know how to rise up again, even from the most difficult of circumstances, and press forward. Today, we also salute and honor the memory of our 14 students and alumni whom we lost in the last year.”
Approximately 2,400 international students from 90 countries will be pursuing their undergraduate and graduate degrees at the international school this year, more than at any other university in Israel. Reichman University continues to maintain its status as the most international academic institution in Israel, with international students making up about 30 percent of the student body. Most of these are Jewish students who have come to Israel from all over the world. About 70 percent of them make aliyah during or upon completion of their studies, making Israel their home — an unprecedented figure that makes the university the largest academic absorption center in Israel. Around 300 international school students are lone soldiers who have served in the reserves throughout the war.
What else is new this year?
Prof. Amnon Lehavi appointed provost
Prof. Amnon Lehavi has been appointed as Reichman University’s new provost, succeeding Prof. Varda Lieberman. Prof. Lehavi is the former dean of the Harry Radzyner Law School, head of the MBA program in Real Estate, and academic director of the G City Real Estate Institute, which has been operating at Reichman University since 2011. With an impressive record of teaching and research at some of the world’s leading universities, Prof. Lehavi’s expertise spans private law, property law, planning and construction law, local government law, international economic law, law and art, and law and globalization.
Cooperation with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization
In the past year, in the wake of the war, Reichman University launched a unique collaboration with the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization. Through this initiative, academic courses are offered to disabled veterans at Beit Halochem centers across the country, taught by Reichman University faculty. The purpose of this project is to provide thousands of wounded IDF soldiers, who have not yet commenced their academic journeys, with a window into higher education. The initiative aims to enhance and potentially accelerate their rehabilitation process. Past experience indicates that integrating learning processes and exposure to diverse thematic content significantly improves rehabilitation outcomes.
"Shorashim program"
The Shorashim program is a unique initiative designed for wounded IDF soldiers and victims of terrorism who are in the process of rehabilitation. The program has been operating at Reichman University for several years, with this year’s focus on those affected by the Swords of Iron war. The program provides a subsidized social and academic experience that aims to engage participants in the world of academia by offering a one-semester introduction to academic life, including the imparting of learning skills.
The Dina Recanati School of Medicine (soon to be established)
Reichman University, in collaboration with partner medical institutions, has completed preparations for the opening of the academic year at the Dina Recanati School of Medicine, pending approval from the Council for Higher Education. The launch of the medical school this year will enable eighty additional medical students to begin their studies in Israel, allowing them to stay in the country rather than study abroad during these challenging times.
Launch of the Ph.D. program in government
In the shadow of the war, and in response to the growing demand for researchers in the field, the new academic year will see the launch of the Ph.D. program in government at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy. The program aims to train the next generation of government researchers to address political, security, and diplomatic challenges. Areas of focus will include national and international security, diplomacy and conflict resolution, political psychology, political behavior, strategy, decision making, and public policy.
The Sheleg Chair in Crisis Management and Research
This year, the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at Reichman University will establish the Sheleg Chair in Crisis Management and Research. This new chair will focus on analyzing various types of crises — political, military, security, business, and social — and conduct in-depth and advanced academic research on the subject. It will produce policy documents and position papers to be presented to decision makers and engage in the systematic development of effective tools, processes, and methods for crisis prevention and management. As part of its mission, the Sheleg Chair will host roundtables, workshops, and conferences, while also training students, senior officials, and decision-makers in Israel and abroad in effective crisis management skills. The chair will be led by Col. (Ret.) Lior Lotan, former head of the IDF’s POWs and Missing Persons Unit and former special envoy on Hostages and Missing Persons for the Prime Minister’s Office.
Launch of the Arison Center for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance)
The Arison Center for ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) is Israel's first academic-practical center focused on the intersection of business and society. The center was launched in the midst of a year that witnessed the most serious crises Israel has faced since its establishment — the judicial reform initiative followed by the devastating attacks of October 7 and the war that has followed. The center’s establishment at such a critical juncture for Israeli society further underscores its mission. The Arison Center for ESG has set itself the goal of guiding companies in implementing corporate governance and a business culture that integrates social and environmental considerations into their core practices, in cooperation with policymakers and enforcement agencies and aligned with developing trends in Israel and the world. The new center is headed by Yair Avidan, the former Supervisor of Banks.
