IDC Herzliya Recognized as a University

It’s official: 27 years after its establishment, IDC Herzliya has realized its vision by becoming officially recognized as a university.

The Council for Higher Education of Israel has announced a resolution today to officially recognize IDC Herzliya as a university. The council’s decision comes in the wake of a recommendation from a special committee that was set up to examine IDC’s status as a university.

And it comes 27 years after the institute was established by Prof. Uriel Reichman, who modeled it after elite American universities with the aim of becoming the first private university in Israel – an independent, academic, non-profit institution that is not dependent on a government budget; instead its activities are funded by tuition money and donations.

A committee of experts that examined the issue of whether to recognize IDC Herzliya as a university submitted a report to the Council for Higher Education, which stated:

“The Interdisciplinary Center is fit to be a university, as it guarantees a high academic level and high-level research that meet required standards for a university. Therefore, we unanimously and without reservation recommend to the Council for Higher Education that IDC Herzliya be granted recognition as a university. Including IDC Herzliya among Israel’s research universities will bring honor to the country and to its system of higher education.”

Chairman of the Board of Directors of IDC Herzliya, Prof. Amnon Rubinstein: “Recognizing IDC as a university is an important milestone in the evolution of Israel’s system of higher education. Were it not for Prof. Reichmann, who conceived of and carried out IDC’s establishment with extraordinary talent and dedication, the institute would have never existed. No one is more deserving to be the namesake of this university.”