CJS Release
September 25, 2003

Israeli Defense Minister Attends College of Judea & Samaria Graduation
Ceremony

The College of Judea & Samaria, Israel's largest public college, held its
annual graduation ceremony on Wednesday, September 24th on the Ariel campus,
with 586 students receiving their degrees.

In attendance as the event's special guest of honor was Mr. Shaul Mofaz,
Israeli Minister of Defense and former I.D.F. Chief of Staff. During
Minister Mofaz's address, he commended the College of Judea & Samaria for
its rapid development over the years. Referring to the status of Ariel, the
minister declared, "Ariel will be part of the State of Israel, and it's very
important for the city and the college to grow as quickly as possible." He
also added, "The people of Ariel will be defended the same as everyone else
in the country."

Also participating in the ceremony were Prof. Moshe Arens, Chairman of the
College's International Board of Governors, Prof. Dan Meyerstein, College
President, Mr. Ron Nachman, Mayor of Ariel, Prof. Zilla Sinuany-Stern, Vice
President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Shmuel Shacham, Dean of the Faculty of
Engineering, Prof. Noah Milgram, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences,
Prof. Michael Zinigrad, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and Prof.
Yair Shapira, Dean of the School of Health Sciences.

In addition to the 586 students completing their studies in Ariel, 165 also
graduated (at an earlier ceremony) from the College's academic program
affiliated with Bar-Ilan University, making the overall graduating class -
751 in total - the largest in the school's history.

Those students receiving their diplomas completed programs in the following
areas: electrical engineering & electronics, industrial engineering &
management, civil engineering, chemical engineering & biotechnology,
architecture, economics & business management, general studies (in social
sciences & humanities), behavioral science, social work, health management,
computer science & mathematics and teaching studies.

For more information, please contact:

Office of Development & External Affairs
College of Judea & Samaria, Ariel, Israel
Tel: 972-3-906-6222; Fax: 972-3-906-7440
E-mail: development@ycariel.yosh.ac.il
Web site: www.yosh.ac.il