This is a period of rapid development for NYU Tel Aviv. The big news is the completion of the first stage of the construction at Bnei Dan, providing NYU with a new dormitory for our exclusive use. The new building has a large open kitchen for student use, and plenty of space to socialize. The availability of a self-service kitchen allows students to bypass a meal plan and to prepare food for themselves. That is great in theory – but in practice most of them have never cooked before! So cooking workshops were organized, and they are proving very popular. The internet connections in the building have been upgraded and WiFi is now available throughout. During the summer, an additional floor will be completed (the third), bringing capacity to 30 beds.
The academic facilities have been upgraded significantly as well, and classes are now taught in the Conservatory of Music just two short blocks away. The Conservatory is newly constructed with wonderful classrooms that would make Washington Square blush. The Conservatory is only lightly used till the mid-afternoon, and we have the building almost to ourselves.
New courses and new faculty have been introduced, all of whom are also teaching in Israeli’s major universities. The science courses offered in NYU Tel Aviv have been expanded, and we now have a collaborative arrangement with Tel Aviv University (TAU) which allows us to use their labs for the teaching of Organic Chemistry. More subjects will be added to the list in the future. The agreement with TAU extends to the Humanities as well. Students are now able to enroll in regular TAU courses that are taught in English, on an academic calendar that is more in tune with ours. Eventually, TAU students will be able to enroll in courses taught at NYU Tel Aviv as well. This is a reciprocal arrangement that augers well for the future.
Tours of Israel have always been a feature of studying abroad at NYU Tel Aviv. The tours are accompanied by lectures and extensive background information. For the Spring semester the tour itineraries have been revamped and extended. And we will repeat the very successful cycling tour around the Sea of Galilee – a challenging 40 mile cycle which over half of our students completed in the Fall.
The introduction of new courses, new faculty and new subject areas to be taught at NYU Tel Aviv, together with the new dorms and teaching facilities, is making Tel Aviv an increasingly attractive choice for NYU students from New York, Abu Dhabi and soon from Shanghai as well.