Community

Each year, over 4000 Students throughout Israel are heading north to experience the vibrant academic community of Tel-Hai College and take part in the unique educational opportunities that it provides. 
Community is one main thing we want these students to experience. Unlike any other institutions of higher learning in Israel, Tel-Hai offers a curriculum that stresses community building and active citizenship. As part of their studies, students are involved in research and programs that directly impact the development and success of communities large and small throughout the northern Galilee. For this reason, the college leadership decided to locate the new student housing within the town of Kiryat Shmona allowing students to immerse themselves in their local community and offer their creativity and youthful energy to address important local issues. 
The new, modern facilities contain the amenities required to create a comfortable and productive atmosphere for studying and living off campus. Apartment units are designed to accommodate four students, two shared bathrooms, a living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a dining area. The housing complex also features public areas, a computer lab, a laundry facility and recreation room. There are currently 118 students living in the “Masada” dormitories, coming from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Completion of the next stage of student housing construction will add another 132 beds (33 apartments). Eventually, the five-building complex will accommodate close to 500 students, essentially doubling the amount of dormitory housing for Tel-Hai students. 
 

Each year, over 4000 Students throughout Israel are heading north to experience the vibrant academic community of Tel-Hai College and take part in the unique educational opportunities that it provides. 
Community is one main thing we want these students to experience. Unlike any other institutions of higher learning in Israel, Tel-Hai offers a curriculum that stresses community building and active citizenship. As part of their studies, students are involved in research and programs that directly impact the development and success of communities large and small throughout the northern Galilee. For this reason, the college leadership decided to locate the new student housing within the town of Kiryat Shmona allowing students to immerse themselves in their local community and offer their creativity and youthful energy to address important local issues. 
The new, modern facilities contain the amenities required to create a comfortable and productive atmosphere for studying and living off campus. Apartment units are designed to accommodate four students, two shared bathrooms, a living room, a fully equipped kitchen and a dining area. The housing complex also features public areas, a computer lab, a laundry facility and recreation room. There are currently 118 students living in the “Masada” dormitories, coming from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Completion of the next stage of student housing construction will add another 132 beds (33 apartments). Eventually, the five-building complex will accommodate close to 500 students, essentially doubling the amount of dormitory housing for Tel-Hai students. 
 

Tel-Hai’s location, adjacent to the diverse ecosystems of the Hula Valley, the agricultural field and bird migration routes along the valley of the Great Rift, the frontline communities scattered along Israel’s volatile northern borders, designates its mission to explore and generate the region’s resources to create ground-breaking scientific research of global significance.
Tel-Hai’s Research Fellowships are dedicated to supporting promising researchers and helping them relocate/continue to live and study in the Galilee and to carry out their research.  in Biotechnology, FoodTech, Nutrition and Water Sciences.
 

Among the most prestigious honors at Tel-Hai College is the bestowal of a Faculty Chair.  The honor distinguishes professors who have made outstanding contributions in their fields of study.  Moreover, it is a tribute to the Chair’s patron, an individual who recognizes the value and importance of progressive academic achievement.
The patron plays an integral role in the Chair incumbent’s intellectual pursuits and accomplishments by supporting and thereby promoting ongoing innovation.  The name of the Chair donor appears on all academic papers given by the professor, on all literature, presentations, publications and stationary that emanate from the professor’s research and study.  A Chair imparts academic credibility for its holder while acknowledging the patron’s depth of understanding and commitment toward the advancement of scholarly work.
A Faculty Chair endowment also enables Tel-Hai to compete for mid-career scholars who are in high demand throughout Israel providing a measure of security and stability for the scholar, allowing him or her to focus entirely on scholarly pursuits, unfettered by extraneous fund raising demands.  This is especially important now that Tel-Hai has established itself as a major player among institutes of higher learning within Israel and internationally. The Chair is held by a single professor for his or her entire academic career at Tel-Hai College, and then is passed to the next generation of Tel-Hai scholars.  
The establishment of a Faculty Chair will ensure the continued research of a leading scholar.  A special ceremony is held in the presence of the patron, usually at the annual Board of Governors meetings, to bestow upon the professor this highly coveted honor. 
Endowed chairs exist in perpetuity. Donors may establish a Faculty Chair in their own names or in the names of others they wish to honor. Income from the endowed gift underwrites the faculty member’s salary and associated costs, such as library, staff support, travel, and other research-related expenses. 
 

Faculty Sponsorship is designated for outstanding young faculty members who are in the early years of their professional careers. It is an ideal way to honor and encourage promising young scholars on the tenure track. The establishment of a Faculty Sponsorship is also a means for providing the lecturer with the resources needed to foster excellence in both teaching and research.  The recipient receives an extra-budgetary stipend from the College to assist in his or her research and scholarly endeavors. 
Israelis often talk about “brain drain” when referring to Israeli academics leaving the country to work in academic settings outside of Israel during the early in their careers and all too often they don’t return. Acknowledging the importance of living abroad as an academic in terms of career development and forging professional and scientific relationships, it is equally important for the nation to invest in bringing those academics back to Israel. For this reason, the benefits and prestige associated with a Faculty Sponsorship is an attractive incentive to return home and settle at Tel-Hai. 
A faculty sponsor receives progress reports on the activities of the incumbent, including research grants, research projects, teaching activities, publications, lectures and studies presented at conferences.  A Faculty Sponsorship is held by the faculty member for a period of one year. 
The list of outstanding candidates for a Faculty Sponsorship is lengthy and many important fields are still underrepresented. Sponsorships are bestowed upon only those lecturers, and researchers who have demonstrated their exceptional achievements in academia, through theoretical or applied research, publications, teaching innovation and departmental leadership.