'Education is a major goal of my life'

In a one-on-one interview with Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Zvika Klein, Professor Ehud Grossman, President of Ariel University, discussed the unique features the university offers  both its students and the Samaria region.

Grossman, a renowned researcher previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University before assuming his duties as President of Ariel University. He noted that the university has experienced a 400% growth in research over the past ten years and praised the university's “Zionistic approach.” One-third of the student body has been serving in the IDF since the beginning of the 'Swords of Iron War', and he said that the sight of students returning from reserve service with rifles slung across their backs is a common sight on campus. At the same time, the university values its diverse study body, including those who contribute to society in various ways, reflecting a community built on mutual respect and shared purpose.

One of the highlights of the university, he said, is its approach to medicine, which includes a multidisciplinary rehabilitation center, university clinics, the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Dr Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson School of Medicine, established in August 2018. This past September, the school conferred medical degrees on its first group of MDs, which numbered 53 graduates. Tragically, one of the graduates, Dr. Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, fell in battle in Gaza in November 2023. The university is committed to honoring his memory, along with those of other students who have tragically lost their lives in the ongoing war.

Citing numbers and statistics, Grossman said that Ariel University today has 16,000 students, and more than 30,000 alumni, along with an academic and administrative staff of 3,000. Ariel was established in 1982, and was recognized as a university in 2012.  The university plays a vital role in the community, he explained, and is the largest employer in the Samaria region.

The vision of Ariel University, he said, is “shaping the present with the wisdom of the past and a vision for the future. We are an academic university with a Zionist mindset that contributes to the community.”

Ariel University sponsored a portion of the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit.