Photos of Dr. Dorman and Dr. Fishman are attached

The relationship between an American and an Israeli college is deepening as two institutions work this year to establish a permanent academic partnership.

Westminster College of New Wilmington, PA and Western Galilee College in Akko, Israel are working to develop a joint agreement that will provide faculty and students of both institutions academic exchange and research collaboration opportunities in the future, according to the president of Westminster College, Dr. Richard H. Dorman.

"We are very excited about the possibility of partnering with Western Galilee College to add a creative and innovative dimension to our academic offerings at Westminster," says Dorman.  "Our hope is to have an articulation agreement in place by the end of this calendar year." 

Though still in discussions, the two schools envision a relationship that will team faculty from both schools in conducting research in a variety of fields, provide student research and study-abroad opportunities for undergraduates, and provide greater understanding of cultures between the two institutions. 

Currently, Westminster College is hosting Dr. Yehuda Peled, professor of education at Western Galilee College, for the 2010-11 academic year as a Visiting Fulbright Scholar on the Westminster campus.  The friendship began between the two schools when Dr. Peled and Dr. Amy Camardese, chair of the Department of Education at Westminster, collaborated on a research project last year.

The idea for a permanent academic relationship began during a visit to Westminster last year by Western Galilee president Dr. Gideon Fishman, who saw similarities between the two institutions.  Recognizing the strength of Westminster's faculty in both teaching and research and his desire to mirror those strengths at Western Galilee, he proposed the idea of an academic partnership with President Dorman at a dinner held in Dr. Fishman's honor at the College, while inviting Dr. Dorman to his campus. 

Dorman and a delegation of three faculty members including Dr. Michael Aleprete, Dr. Bryan Rennie, and Dr. William Evans, traveled to Israel in May to present at a conference on multi-culturalism held on the Western Galilee College campus.  Time was also spent learning about the college, touring nearby Haifa and the Western Galilee, and visiting Jerusalem.  Dorman was most impressed with the diversity of Western Galilee College and President Fishman's vision for the institution.

"Western Galilee effectively integrates Jews, Arabs, Christians and Druze into the student body.  The mixture of cultures, faith backgrounds, and socio-economic strata within their student body makes it an ideal learning laboratory for Westminster students wishing to study Comparative Religion, Sociology, Education, Political Science, and related disciplines," says Dorman.  "Dr. Fishman is attempting to provide greater breadth to their curriculum, similar to the liberal arts tradition we enjoy in America.  I think Westminster provides a good model.  We certainly could learn a lot from what Western Galilee College has to offer."

The plans to develop a partnership with an Israeli college are in keeping with the history of Westminster College.  Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), Westminster has had graduates serving in varied capacities throughout the Middle East for more than 100 years.  Westminster is home to the New Wilmington Mission Conference, an annual gathering of Presbyterian missionaries who have convened on the campus each summer since around 1908.  Over the decades many missionaries have served in Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Israel.  Many items in the College's notable antiquities collection - which includes a 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy - were donated as gifts from graduates servings as missionaries in Egypt and the Holy Land. 

"Westminster has long been a leader in its commitment to the Judeo-Christian heritage," according to President Dorman.  "Perhaps more than most American colleges, Westminster has benefitted from the work of many of our graduates having an interest in the Abrahamic faith traditions.  A relationship with Western Galilee College would contribute substantially to the continuation and development of those traditions."