Cornerstone laid at the future site of the new Faculty of Law building
One of the highlights of the 44th Board of Governor’s Meeting was the cornerstone laying ceremony for the new home of the Faculty of Law. “Our faculty has literally outgrown its current facilities,” stated Prof. Gad Barzilai, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
The ceremony was attended by special guests Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran, a past honorary degree recipient from the University of Haifa, Chief Justice of the District Court of Haifa Yosef Elron, BOG members from around the world, faculty members and students.
The seed funding needed for the construction of the new Faculty of Law building has been made possible by generous gifts provided through the Friends of the University of Haifa from Switzerland and France. According to Mr. Yariv Sultan, Vice President for Development and External Relations, “This project is an example of the dedication, collaborative efforts and creative fundraising initiatives led by our Swiss and French Friends Associations.” Mr. Alex Karpov, representing the Swiss Friends Association, and Dr. Eyal Chvika, his counterpart on the Board of the French Friends Association, who were instrumental in launching the building campaign, unveiled the plaque to mark the site of the new faculty building.
“Having our own building will enable us to better meet the needs of our ever-growing student body while strengthening student-faculty collaboration. It will provide a place where students, researchers and faculty can come together to study, learn, and deliberate,” noted Prof. Barzilai. The law program at the University of Haifa is one of the fastest growing academic programs on campus, with over 1,000 law students at all levels – LLB, LLM and PhD.
“The law is the backbone of our democracy,” emphasized Justice Salim Joubran at the dedication. “But, it is equally imperative that we promote respect for human rights. The University of Haifa and the Faculty of Law are outstanding examples to the rest of Israel and to the world that Jews and Arabs can peacefully coexist, learn and work with one another towards achieving a common good. Students of the Faculty will be better lawyers and citizens for having shared their experiences in an academic environment that demands critical thinking and the pursuit of equality for human rights through tolerance and mutual respect.”
The University of Haifa’s Faculty of Law is the youngest university law school in the country. Established in 1992, it quickly grew to become one of Israel’s leading law schools offering path-breaking legal education, innovative legal clinics and world-class research centers, including the Minerva Center for the Study of Rule of Law Under Extreme Conditions, the Haifa Center of Law and Technology, the prestigious International Academy for Judges, supported by the David Berg Foundation, and the new Center for Cyber, Law and Policy.
The Faculty is known for its progressive curriculum that reaches beyond teaching basic legal concepts and doctrine. It imparts knowledge from related disciplines needed by future legal practitioners and scholars to navigate challenges to social justice and equality posed by a swiftly changing global society.
The new 31,000 square foot building will house under one roof state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities that will include computerized classrooms, an auditorium, faculty offices and facilities for legal clinics and research centers.
Additional support is needed to help complete this building project. For more information please contact the Office of the Vice President for External Affairs and Resource Development.