Editing Open University of Israel (section)

==History==
[[File:Open University of Israel 4.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The inauguration ceremony of the Tel Aviv campus: Prof. [[Abraham Ginzburg|Avraham Ginzburg]] (right), President of the University, and [[Dorothy de Rothschild]] (center), 1976]]
[[File:Open University of Israel 5.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The OUI Ramat Aviv campus]]
[[File:Open University of Israel 6.jpg|thumb|right|250px|One of the university’s first graduation ceremonies]]
[[File:Afeka.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The villa in Afeka which housed the University’s offices in its early days, 1974]]
In 1971, a committee appointed by the CHE and chaired by Professor [[Shneior Lifson]] proposed the establishment of an open university, following the model of the Open University UK. The [[Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel)]] endorsed the idea and offered to fund its establishment, based on the recommendation of a committee of experts chaired by Professor [[Wilbur Schramm]] of [[Stanford University]]. The proposal was introduced to the Minister of Education and Culture at the time, [[Yigal Allon]]. Under his leadership, in 1973, the government and the CHE decided to establish a “university for all.” In 1988 the university changed its name from Everyman's University to The Open University of Israel.
In 1976, the Open University began operating from its headquarters in Ramat Aviv, with an enrollment of 2,267 students. Five courses were initially offered. The university had 130 employees, including nine senior academic faculty members and 31 teaching faculty (including course coordinators and tutors). 
An agreement signed in 1995 between the university and the Ra’anana municipality led to construction of the Dorothy de Rothschild campus. In 2004, construction was completed and university headquarters were relocated to the new main campus in Ra’anana.