I. Introduction to our mission

The Shalem Center seeks your partnership in an exciting and unrivaled effort, the establishment of the first liberal arts college in Israel.

This exceptional college will offer the most gifted and motivated students from all sectors of Israeli life, as well as abroad, a dramatically different kind of education to assure that the Jewish people will have leaders possessing the knowledge, skills, and character needed to bring about genuine change.

While other institutions of higher education in Israel focus on narrow disciplinary study and on training students for specific careers, Shalem College aims to prepare its graduates for a lifetime of learning, service, and leadership through a rigorous liberal arts education, the only one in Israel.

Through a core curriculum that all students will take, and more specialized study in majors that are tailored to the needs of Israeli society, Shalem College will develop knowledgeable and passionate leaders capable of shaping the future of Israel and the Jewish people.  

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II. The challenge—Why a liberal arts college in Israel?

Since its creation in 1948, the state of Israel has overcome unprecedented obstacles and built an extraordinary society based on outstanding achievements in education, science, economics, and the arts. A strong commitment to quality education helped shape a democracy that values the rule of law and the dignity of all its citizens. However, for six decades, it was necessary to focus on physical survival; the resources imperative for creating a broader, inclusive, and top-quality educational system were therefore not available. Today, that painstakingly built society faces enormous challenges:

• A primary and secondary educational system that has descended from world-class to average and below;
• A system of higher education that prepares young people for careers, but neglects the humanities and exposure to the great ideas of the Jewish people;
• A drain on the brain power of Israel through academic emigration at rates unparalleled anywhere else in the western world;
• A weakening commitment, in key sectors of society, to the concept of Zionism and its central role in maintaining the Jewish state;
• The absence among leading citizens of reflective and strategic thinking, strength of character, and a commitment to public service;
• The lack of serious, well-prepared intellectual, cultural, and political leadership capable of responding to new and daunting national and international challenges.

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III. Shalem’s response to the challenge – Shalem College

The leadership that the Jewish people requires can only be created by offering a new generation the kind of education which will foster the intellectual resources, abilities, and commitment needed to become citizens capable of making a meaningful impact on society.  A liberal arts college, focused on developing ideas-driven leadership, will address that need.

Why a new college?

Shalem College will be an intellectual center marked by dynamism, creativity, and quality of thought which will enable students to become:

• Thoughtful, accomplished, and active citizens of Israel through immersion in Zionist history and thought; political theory; constitutional history and ideas; and Middle Eastern and international studies;
  
  
• Inspired and committed members of the Jewish people through integrated studies in: Bible, Talmud, rabbinic literature; Jewish history and modern Jewish civilization;
  
  
• Open-minded and engaged participants in world culture  through in-depth exposure to history, philosophy, religions, literature, and the arts;
  
  
• Capable leaders who have not only unparalleled knowledge and skills in the majors of Middle Eastern Studies (MES) or Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion (PPR), but also possess broad knowledge and the ability to articulate their ideas effectively in writing and speech.

These outcomes cannot be achieved through the current model of higher education in Israel.  Many institutions in the country are well regarded for expertise in specific disciplines, and for preparing students for careers, but none offers the well rounded and essential formative experiences and opportunities that Shalem College will offer.

What will characterize Shalem College?

Shalem College will offer an intimate and challenging setting to motivate students to think independently, collaborate with their colleagues, and develop new and bold ideas.  The characteristics of the program include:

• A demand for excellence and rigor in reading, textual study, and writing equivalent to leading liberal arts colleges throughout the world;
  
  
• A multi-disciplinary core curriculum focusing on western civilization, the ideas of the Jewish people, and Zionist history and thought;
  
  
• Close contact with faculty through small seminar discussion and dialogue within and outside the classroom;
  
  
• Focus on professional excellence and developing the capacity for leadership;
  
  
• Inspiring an understanding of the core values and ideas at the center of Israeli and Jewish public life;
  
  
• Nurturing a commitment to a flourishing Israel.

How will the program be implemented?

The establishment of Shalem College is well underway.  The outstanding and internationally acclaimed scholars of the Shalem Center have worked together during the past several years in creating the vision for the college, and in beginning to realize that vision.

• A president has been recruited:
  Martin Kramer, a world-renowned scholar and author, has been named as Shalem College’s founding President.  During a twenty-five year career at Tel Aviv University, he established a reputation for original scholarship and academic leadership, especially as head of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies.  He is currently a fellow at the Olin Institute at Harvard University and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, as well as at the Shalem Center.  He has published and lectured extensively.
  
  
• Outstanding scholars have been recruited to serve as department heads and faculty members.
  
  
• The core curriculum, and curricula for the opening majors of the college, have  been drafted, and outlines for all courses have been prepared.
  
  
• An application to the Israeli Council for Higher Education, requesting accreditation, has been completed and submitted, and its detailed contents demonstrate that the rigorous standards for opening a new, B.A.-granting institution have been met and exceeded.
  
  
• Public and Academic Councils have been established, consisting of Israelis representing a range of backgrounds, accomplishments, and viewpoints, and who have committed to serve on the governing bodies of the college.

It is estimated that accreditation will be granted in 2011, and the school will open in fall 2012. An initial enrollment of 100 students per entering class will be selected from the best and brightest from throughout Israel’s religious, geographic, and socio-economic spectra, and from outstanding students from around the world.  Students who require scholarships will be offered the assistance necessary to enroll and to devote themselves to their studies.  The college will eventually expand to 250 students in each class, for an ongoing student body of approximately 1,000 students.

This intimate and intensive educational experience will initially be based at the beautiful and historic Shalem Center in Jerusalem, or at a specially tailored campus nearby. The physical facilities of Shalem College will nurture a personal and student-centered education, as well as promoting robust extra-curricular activities to complement classroom discussion and to build leadership. Once the college is up and running, a permanent campus will be sought.

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IV. Why the Shalem Center?

The Shalem Center is uniquely positioned to be the force for creating far-reaching change in the education and preparation of Israeli leaders of the future.  Since its inception in 1994, Shalem has been an unrivaled force in developing ideas for the Jewish world.  The Center has gathered together the most dynamic and exciting group of scholars, creating an intellectual community dedicated to exploring the most important questions facing the Jewish people, the state of Israel, and the world beyond.  Faculty members have been selected for their dedication to academic excellence, pioneering research, and superior teaching abilities.  During these 15 years, Shalem scholars have published books, produced journals, and engaged in cutting-edge research on critical ideas at the core of Jewish and Israeli public life.

From the outset, Shalem’s founders were committed to creating an Israeli institution to equip future leaders to compete in the international marketplace of ideas.  Their overarching goal has been to meet that challenge through the creation of the first liberal arts college in Israel.  Now that long-planned effort is well under way.

Shalem has already demonstrated that it can nurture and produce leaders with the capacity for true impact. Shalem is far from an “ivory tower.” With great pride, our scholars have assumed positions of leadership in all spheres of Israeli public life – including Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Natan Sharansky, leader of Israel’s Economic Advisory Council, Omer Moav, and Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs, Moshe Ya’alon.

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V. Why a philanthropic partnership with Shalem?

At every step in her development, Israel has been a “joint venture”: a partnership between visionary Israelis and farsighted citizens of the world.  The Shalem Center is focused on educational structures and philosophies that provide an opportunity to integrate Jewish values and history, together with the best elements drawn from other civilizations, into a unique education for leadership.

Many of us wonder how our children and grandchildren will experience Israel, and how they will relate to Jewish peoplehood. What does the future hold, and how can it be shaped so that Israel and the Jewish people prosper and thrive in the coming generations?  While security and border issues continue to engage our leaders, it is ensuring the soul of Israel that demands our greatest concern.

At this juncture, the foundations of Shalem College are in place, and we need your financial support to ensure that when we open our doors to students in the fall of 2012, they find a unique and dynamic institution that will transform the future of higher education, knowledge, and leadership for Israel and the Jewish world. By partnering with us now, you will be actively contributing to the following goals and priorities for the next three years:

• Refining and deepening the unique, world-class curriculum.  Starting from the curriculum and course outlines that have been created for Shalem College, we must test and refine the curriculum, prepare detailed course syllabi and reading lists, develop the pedagogical techniques suitable for this curriculum, and ensure that suitable materials are available to teach it to students. To do so, we will examine best practices at comparable college and university programs from around the world, consult with scholars who are expert in the subjects covered in the curriculum, sponsor conferences on key aspects of Shalem College’s educational approach, and hold pilot seminars in which the most important courses will be offered and refined. Shalem Press will identify the one hundred most important texts that will be taught at the college, and will translate and publish them in Hebrew.
  
  
• Expanding our faculty of innovative and dedicated scholars. With academic leadership and department heads in place, we must now expand our faculty while ensuring that Shalem College will provide a personal and student-centered education of the highest caliber. After a rigorous search throughout universities in Israel and abroad, promising candidates must be brought to the Shalem Center where they will meet with our scholars, teach sample seminars to future students, and present public lectures to our network of supporters. This process will guarantee that we gather a team of the most talented and creative teachers to deliver the excellent educational experience our students will expect.
  
  
• Laying the groundwork for recruiting outstanding students. We must expand our initiatives aimed at reaching younger students who form the ideal target market to enroll in Shalem College when it opens in 2012. This includes the Rimon leadership program for outstanding Israeli high school students, which has entered the second year of a pilot phase, as well as additional programs to be launched for students in pre-army programs. Following on the heels of market research that demonstrated a clear demand for Shalem College, we will carry out focus groups and quantitative surveys among potential students to the college to identify the groups with the greatest potential, and to develop the messages best tailored to attract these students. Beginning in 2011, we will develop a public relations, marketing, and recruitment plan that can be put into place as soon as accreditation is received.
  
  
• Building a network of partners throughout Israel and the Jewish world.  Shalem College can only produce graduates with the ability to impact society by exposing its students to a rich extracurricular life, real world experiences, and outstanding figures from around the world in the fields of education, public service, journalism, culture and business.  We must develop a network that will function as a powerful “alumni association” for the first class of students, providing internships, on-campus lectures, scholarships, and the best avenues to positions where they can affect their ambitious goals and bring about a dramatic change for the Jewish people. We will engage in an intensive effort to increase our network of support by dispatching our team of scholars for a series of public lectures in Israel and abroad, and inviting key leaders and innovators in all sectors of Israeli society to a series of seminars and lectures held at our center in Jerusalem.

The foundations for success are in place, and we invite you to partner with us as we embark on this ambitious project to build Shalem College. It is up to us to invest in creating the leaders needed for Israel, for the future of the Jewish people, and for the contribution the Jewish people can make to humanity everywhere.