April 17, 2009
Over the past few years, North American universities have imposed various hurdles and barriers for students interested in studying abroad in Israel. Through extensive research and surveying, it is clear that this is a national issue, spanning all regions of the country and affecting both private and public institutions.
Therefore, the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC) launched the "Let Our Students Go!" initiative in September, 2004 at Columbia University in New York, to work collectively to eliminate existing university barriers and to foster an environment that encourages students to pursue academic study in Israel.
In a demonstration of the community’s broad commitment to the value of study in Israel and in support of students interested in studying in Israel, ICC member organizations signed on to a joint Declaration of Unity and Purpose on Study Abroad in Israel. The Declaration underscores the need to work collaboratively to support students, faculty, and university professionals in their efforts to remove and overcome these barriers.
Students have also actively become involved with the initiative. Across the country, they have engaged in an in-depth mapping of their campus’ study abroad policies to determine the exact nature of the policy. They have also organized petitions, engaged faculty and community members, and approached their university administrations with proposals for policy changes.
"Let Our Students Go!" has six primary objectives:
- To leverage and mobilize the organizational strength and cooperation of the community and students to reduce university-imposed barriers and other impediments to study abroad in Israel.
- To promote student travel and study resources for Israel.
- To help return Israel study abroad participation to the previous level of 4,000 students per year within three years and, within five years, to reach the unprecedented level of 6,000 students per year studying in Israel.
- To document, map and help reduce actual barriers imposed by universities, by providing informational materials, resources and assistance to students facing barriers.
- To create important national baseline data and strategies for success that can be shared with relevant parties.
- To broaden public awareness of the issue and its resolution at specific universities.
If you would like to discuss a university’s policy on study abroad in Israel, please contact the ICC's Israel Education Initiatives Associate Andrea Sorin at 202-449-6583.
Please download the ICC Study Abroad Resource Guide:
ICC Study Abroad Resource Guide 2008-2009 (PDF file 1.37 Mb)
[Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or higher.]