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Higher Education in Israel
Yaacov Bergman
School of Business
and the Center for Research in Rationality
The Hebrew University
Yaacov.Bergman@huji.ac.il
Newly added
Ordered by publication date
First open letter to HU Chairman of the
Board Yigal Arnon
May 26, 2003 (in Hebrew)
YB's article, "The Head
is Sick Too," (Haaretz 19.10.03)
Hebrew version
English version
YB presenting at the Maariv Conference
on "Higher Education in Israel - the Revolution?" April 30, 2002
YB presented again at the Maariv Conference
on Higher Education, June 15, 2003
Two
Open Letters
Two
open letters (click here
to open or download); one to the Chairman of the Board of
Governors of the Hebrew University, Mr Yigal Arnon;
the other, to the Rector of the Hebrew University Haim Rabinowitch
Cover for the open letters
May
26, 2003
"The universities
are among the most wasteful preserves in Israel. Nothing has changed
there in the last decades." So writes Mr Nehemia Strasler, the Senior
Editor for Economic and Social Affairs at Haaretz, in his newspaper (16.5.03).
Is this view, which seems to be held by a broad Israeli constituency, justified?
The facts, unfortunately, suggest it is.
Unlike ALL the best universities in the world, the Hebrew
University, like the other Israeli universities, is a jumbled Byzantine
democracy. It is a democracy in the sense that all its academic
officers -- save the president -- run for office in elections (albeit
by employees; not by constituents). It is jumbled in that, unlike in any other structured
instrument of democracy -- as are top research universities like Princeton
or the University of California -- no academic officer of the Hebrew
University is subordinated to any other; not even to the president. And
it is Byzantine, because, unlike a true democracy,
it does not have anything resembling a free press; a major deficiency
which allows concealment and intrigue to breed unchecked.
Attached to this message is an open letter (in Hebrew) that goes
out to a very wide audience including the whole Hebrew University faculty
and beyond, and which should help the reader to get a glimpse at the
Hebrew University inner machination. This open letter discusses grave
academic afflictions of the Hebrew University, which I have
come to observe at close quarters. For this reason, I address my letter
to Rector Haim Rabinowitch, whom the HU constitution crowns as the university
academic head (Article 8). However, the letter concerns the
whole Hebrew University community and the public at large, which finances
the university through taxes, tuition, and donations, and which, therefore,
is its ultimate owner, to whom accountability for those enormous resources
is owed.
Preceding this open letter to the Rector is a short open
letter to the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University,
Mr. Yigal Arnon (see the same link above). That letter emphasizes to
him the direct, inalienable responsibility of the HU Board of Governors
to the public for the academic standing and quality of the university,
and how this essential responsibility is scrupulously discharged by Boards
of Trustees of truly distinguished universities; an example that, unfortunately,
is not followed by the Hebrew University Board, as determined by the distinguished
Maltz Committee in its report to the Israeli Government.
I am confident that my open letters would help kindle a
discussion of the issues that I am raising within the Hebrew University
as befitting an open academic community which is committed to self-improvement
. I especially look forward to responses from the Chairman of the Board
of Governors of the Hebrew University, Mr. Yigal Arnon; from Hebrew
University President Menachem Magidor; form Hebrew University Rector
Haim Rabinowitch; as well as form other past and present officers of
the Hebrew University whose decisions and actions I discuss in my open
letter.
-Yaacov Bergman
You are urged to distribute my open letter and the web-page
address above to those who you feel may be interested in these issues.
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