Tags: American Jewish Committee, Grantmaking, Israel, Israel Education, Michael Oren, Programs, Project Interchange, Schusterman Family Foundation UNIVERSITY HEADS ASSEMBLE FOR PROJECT INTERCHANGE RECEPTION
Washington, DC-November 16, 2009 – Over 45 university presidents and chancellors from around the country gathered at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park on Monday, November 16 to celebrate collaboration in higher education between the United States and Israel. The evening reception was organized by DC-based Project Interchange through the generous support of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, a former professor at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown, addressed the gathering along with Dr. Rivka Carmi, president of Ben Gurion University of the Negev- a first-rate Israeli institution.
Project Interchange, an institute of the American Jewish Committee, plans and executes educational seminars in Israel for influential figures from around the world, including a program for university presidents and chancellors each June. Monday’s reception reunited several alumni of the Project Interchange program, two of whom shared remarks on their recent visits to Israel through the institute. University of Nebraska president James B. Milliken called the seminar, “the most intellectually stimulating week of my life.”
“The incredible turnout and depth of discourse at the reception underscores why Project Interchange seminars are integral to building support for quality Israel education within the university setting,” says Lisa Eisen, national director of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, who also delivered remarks at the event. “Our foundation believes deeply that modern Israel has a crucial place in the academic world and that it merits serious, scholarly, unbiased study and reflection. We are delighted to see this beginning to take root across an array of disciplines in the American academy, and it is a trend we will continue to support and grow.”
About Project Interchange
Project Interchange, a non-profit institute of the American Jewish Committee, develops and executes educational seminars in Israel for current and emerging United States and international leaders.
Since 1982, Project Interchange (PI) has equipped over 5,000 seminar participants from over 60 countries with a balanced foundation for understanding Israel’s history, diverse makeup, and strategic objectives. Past delegations have included government officials, civic and business leaders, print and broadcast journalists, ethnic and religious leaders, university presidents and media, and Rhodes Scholars.
Project Interchange seminars are highly interactive and promote dialogue on a wide array of complex issues.
Project Interchange is headquartered in Washington DC and maintains an office in Jerusalem, Israel.
For more about Project Interchange, please visit www.projectinterchange.org.