Top U.S. University Presidents Explore Innovation and Bilateral Academic
Opportunities in Israel
Presidents, Chancellors of U.C. Berkeley, Texas State University System,
Barnard, Scripps, Rockefeller, others on 7th Project Interchange Seminar for
University Leaders

(Jerusalem, Israel, June 30, 2013) - A delegation of presidents and
chancellors from top U.S. universities will visit Israel June 30- July 6 to
investigate opportunities for bilateral academic partnerships and
collaboration through an educational seminar conducted by Project
Interchange, an institute of AJC (American Jewish Committee). The
delegation will visit Israeli universities, including Tel Aviv University,
the Technion, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for a series of
meetings in areas relevant to their universities such as brain science,
environmental sustainability, biotech, diversity and women’s leadership. The
delegation will learn about state-of-the art research initiatives and
ground-breaking innovation at Israeli universities, as well as unique
academia-to-industry technology transfer that has contributed to Israel's
reputation as the “Start Up Nation”.

The seminar was designed by Project Interchange in consultation with the
participating university presidents and chancellors, and will offer broad
exposure to the complex issues facing Israel and the region, with the
delegation scheduled to meet with senior government, academic and civil
society leaders across the Israeli social and political spectrum, and
traveling to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leaders.

“We are tremendously pleased to host this impressive delegation of American
university leaders for their first of hopefully many trips to Israel. The
world-class research and educational facilities at Israeli universities and
colleges, a number of which will be visited during the program, provide a
fitting setting for great minds to share information, discuss research
partnerships, and explore opportunities for mutually-beneficial
cooperation," said Project Interchange Executive Director Sam Witkin.
“Israel’s world-class research and educational innovation attests to its
role as a global player.”

The program marks Project Interchange’s 7th annual flagship seminar for
university presidents. Previous Project Interchange seminars for university
presidents have resulted in numerous instances of collaboration between
participant universities and their Israeli counterparts. The joint
Cornell-Technion technology/science campus, in part a result of a PI seminar
chaired by Cornell President David Skorton in 2010, broke ground on New York’s
Roosevelt Island in 2012 and launched its first beta class. Following his
seminar in 2012, Louis Agnese, President, University of the Incarnate Word
returned to Israel in February 2013, to consult and collaborate with the
Sackler School of Medicine in order to create a medical school at UIW. In
March 2013, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, who
co-chaired a PI seminar in 2008, signed a three-year, $1 million partnership
with Ben Gurion University to develop renewable energy technology projects.
University of California-Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake (2008) has signed
nine bilateral academic exchange agreements with Israeli universities and
recently hosted an Israeli innovation conference.

The Project Interchange University Presidents and Chancellors delegation
includes:

· Seminar Chair: Chancellor Brian McCall, Texas State University
System

· President Debora L. Spar, Barnard College

· Chancellor Nicholas B. Dirks, University of California, Berkeley

· President Daniel Papp, Kennesaw State University

· President Robert R. Jennings, The Lincoln University

· President Sharon K. Hahs, Northeastern Illinois University

· President Wim Wiewel, Portland State University

· President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, The Rockefeller University

· President Lori Bettison-Varga, Scripps College
# # #
About Project Interchange: Project Interchange, a non-profit educational
institute of AJC (American Jewish Committee), develops and conducts
educational seminars in Israel for current and emerging United States and
international leaders. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Project Interchange
has brought over 6,000 influential figures to Israel from 77 countries,
offering them broad exposure and first-hand understanding of the complex
issues facing Israel and the region.
www.projectinterchange.org

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