President of the University of Haifa, Amos Shapira, on the i...

The American Society for the University of Haifa and Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues are hosting a discussion with Haifa University's President, Amos Shapira on January 29th at 5:30 PM in New York City, on: Creating a Shared University Campus: A Social and Economic Investment in Israel's Future President Amos Shapira will speak about the importance of integrating all of Israel's students into higher education and the employment market and how University of Haifa creates a shared educational, social, and civic experience that helps students excel. University of Haifa has the highest ratio of Arab students of all Israel's universities and the most diverse student body in general, including Muslim and Christian Arabs, Druze, new immigrants, religious and secular students, and IDF personnel. The University has developed a number of programs to support Arab student success and participation in a multicultural campus. Shapira, who formerly Co-Chaired the Israeli Palestinian Business Council to strengthen Arab-Jewish business relations, sees the shared campus as critical for Israel's social and economic future and is committed to the strategic role The University of Haifa plays in making it a reality. Please join us for a inside look at why the President of the University of Haifa sees this issue as critical for Israel's future and what efforts the University is making to to address it. The event will be held in New York City on Tuesday, January 29th, at 5:30 PM. A speaker bio is included below. *** Bio President Amos Shapira - Mr. Shapira is the 10th President of the University of Haifa. One of Israel's leading business figures, Shapira began his career at Hogla-Kimberly Ltd. in 1975, where he rose through the ranks to become managing director in 1993. In 2002, he was appointed managing director of El Al Israel Airlines where he oversaw a smooth privatization process and made it a profitable company. In 2005, Shapira took on a new challenge as managing director of Cellcom Israel Ltd. and under his direction it became Israel's leading cellular provider. During his business career, Shapira served as co-chairman of the Israeli Palestinian Business Council, a nonpolitical organization sponsored by the World Economic Forum, aimed at promoting business ties between Israelis and Palestinians. Mr. Shapira left business to serve on issues close to his heart and key for the State of Israel: education, higher education, and excellence in research in particular, viewing higher education as a vehicle for promoting coexistence between the various sectors and strata of Israeli society - between Jews and Arabs, between the secular and Jewish Orthodox populations, and others for the benefit of Israel's society and economy. Shapira believes that the University of Haifa is uniquely positioned to lead in academic education and research, and to make a significant and valuable contribution to coexistence between the various sectors of Israeli society. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Haifa where he studied Economics, and a master's degree in Industrial Management from the Technion.