The Azrieli Foundation announced on Sunday a $3.75 million donation to create the Azrieli Center for Excellence in Engineering Education in Israel.
The donation furthers the foundation’s support of the Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem, to which it has contributed more than $11.5 million, bringing the total support to $15.5 million.
The new center, dubbed Azrieli E3, will develop and promote innovative methods of engineering education, while nurturing engineers over the course of their careers. The center will offer a full continuum of education via its three divisions: Youth Outreach, Innovation in Teaching and Learning and Life-Long Learning.
The Youth Outreach division, for those in middle and high school, is designed to give students exposure to engineering as a career and prepare them to work in the most advanced fields in the industry. The Innovation in Teaching and Learning division will provide advanced teaching methodologies to post-secondary students and supply them with the skills they need to compete in today’s fast-paced technological environment. The Life-Long Learning division will train industry professionals who want to update their knowledge or retrain to work in more contemporary fields.
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum expressed her appreciation for the generous donation, stating it would “significantly boost the city’s economy by providing top-notch training for engineers across various industrial fields.”
The Azrieli E3, which aims to incorporate people from all corners of Jerusalem society, will be equipped with a multi-disciplinary lab designed to promote entrepreneurial activities for students, faculty, research and industry professionals from all three divisions.
“The Azrieli College of Engineering in Jerusalem serves as a source of innovation and excellence in the field of engineering education,” said Danna Azrieli, co-chair of the Azrieli Foundation Israel. “For more than 10 years we have generously contributed to the college to position it as a central hub for educating engineers, and strengthen employment in the fields of engineering and high-tech,” she added.
Rosa Azhari, president of the college, said that the Azrieli Foundation’s support will “allow the college to realize its vision of integrating people from all parts of Jerusalem into the fields of high-tech in the city.”
The Azrieli College of Engineering Jerusalem was established in 1999 to train professional engineers and bring high-quality engineering education to the Israeli capital.
