Establishment of a new university in Ariel

by Raphael Tsikbashvili,
The speech was written and presented in the frame Public speaking course December 27, 2007

Hello, I would like to talk to you about the necessity of establishing a university in Ariel and the great importance of this. The State of Israel must act in this direction from four central considerations.

• First and foremost because there is a real need for another university.
• Second, because the University Center in Ariel will be an excellent platform for this.
• The political problematic involved in this action is significantly smaller than what is commonly thought.
• Finally, and this is also the fourth reason, this will lead to the strengthening of the periphery and weak populations, especially that of Ariel.

Before I go into the details, let me explain in one sentence the difference between a university and a college just to make sure that we all understand what it is about and that what I say later will be clear. A university by definition deals with research and the provision of higher education, while a college deals with the provision of higher education but not research. Now that this topic has been clarified, back to our eyes.

A. Another university is needed

Some of you are probably asking yourself why Israel needs another university when there are already eight of them. Well, the answer to that is twofold. First, it will stop the terrible brain drain from the country that threatens the future of academia in Israel and, as a result, also its financial strength. Some would even say, about the very existence of the state. Second, this will upgrade the quality and quantity of research done here and in addition the level of teaching in higher education institutions.

It must be understood that a catastrophe is occurring in the State of Israel. The best minds of our country, the next generation and the future of R&D, are leaving for foreign countries to fill positions in elite universities there. You will find them at Santaford, MT, Princeton and Cambridge not because they craved a bit of Hotzlartz and good conditions, but because the doors of the universities here are closed to them. There are not enough standards for jobs here and there are not enough laboratories here where they can carry out their research, simply because the old professors refuse to move on and retire even at retirement age. Some of my good friends are for this reason in universities in the USA. Establishing another university will free this vagrant and will result in many of them staying in Israel who would otherwise have left abroad. In this way, the State of Israel will gain more excellent scientists and researchers who will increase the amount and quality of research and improve teaching in universities.

B. There is no college more ripe to be a university

And if a university is already being established, there is no more natural candidate for that than the University Center in Ariel. This center, with over 8500 students, is currently considered the largest public college in Israel. There is a first-rate research and human infrastructure there that is at the forefront of science and has achieved impressive achievements. To illustrate, the harvest in recent years of this academic institution was 68 books, 693 articles and 24 patents. There are even some startups that were established based on the developments of the college.

third. There is an exaggeration in the political fear

The concern about the location of the college and Ariel's political position is also not justified. In all the discussions and official outlines between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Ariel remained Israeli. In the Camp David agreements and also in the proposal of the permanent settlement of the United States President Clinton, all parties agreed that Ariel should be part of the State of Israel in the permanent settlement with the Palestinians. Furthermore, in the Taba talks in January 2001, the Palestinian side also agreed that Ariel would be annexed to Israel and the city was included in Israel's territory in the maps that the Palestinian delegation itself presented to the Israeli one

d. The establishment of a university will contribute to the city and its surroundings

Therefore it can be said with great confidence that the future of Ariel as an Israeli city is guaranteed. Still, there is another danger that threatens the city. The socio-economic danger. Ariel today is a poor city inhabited by many new immigrants and housing developers. According to the data of the Central Bureau of Statistics, the average salary in Ariel is about 15 percent lower than the national one. Establishing a university in the city will improve its socioeconomic situation by attracting a quality population to it and by increasing the volume of economic activity that the new students will bring. And just as Ben-Gurion University upgraded the city of Beer-Sheva, so Ariel College will upgrade the city of Ariel the day it becomes a university.

In conclusion

The transformation of the college in Ariel into a university is a distinct Israeli interest that will lead to an improvement in the quality and quantity of research carried out here, stop the brain drain from the country and significantly strengthen Ariel and its population. The college is ready for this in terms of infrastructure and the political situation of the city should not be an obstacle either. It is time to put this necessary step into practice.

Thanks.

Do you have anything to say about it? Join the debate club

Want to learn to prepare and present speeches? Sign up for a public speaking course