Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at IDC IDC (www.idc.ac.il) is the first private institution of higher education in Israel. Modeled on distinguished small colleges in the United States, IDC Herzliya is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education and research. Its mission is to promote a culture where personal achievement goes hand in hand with social responsibility. The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at IDC (www.idc.ac.il/Zell) is open to outstanding students who have the ambition and ability to launch an en- trepreneurial venture. The program – established through a generous contribution from world-renowned entrepreneur Sam Zell of Chicago – is taught in English and aims to pro- vide a practical platform from which participants can launch businesses over the course of an academic year. VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3 POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2012 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. LEADERS 37 Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya Educating the Future Leadership of Israel Professor Uriel Reichman PROFESSOR URIEL REICHMAN WAS A DEAN OF But the students came and enrollment The university’s facility and staff ascribe to the Law School at Tel Aviv University (TAU) in steadily grew. IDC was a refreshing change from the belief that the contribution their students 1994 when he announced his plans to create the the alternative highly subsidized, established in- will make after getting the right education will Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya in Israel. stitutions. IDC quickly distinguished itself as a continue to support the values and advance- His vision was to establish a unique, world-class university that put its students at the heart of its ment of Israel as well. IDC is the only university university – the country’s fi rst higher education culture. in the world with this mission. institution independent of government funding “During my tenure at TAU and other institu- and infl uence – that combined exceptionally tions, I had too often heard professors casually re- high academic standards with practical applica- marking that the university would be a wonderful tion and social consciousness. place without the students. That was an attitude I At the time, the academic landscape in simply could not accept,” commented Reichman. “IDC Israel was (and to a large extent still is) con- “Since IDC is not subsidized by the government, trolled by the Council for Higher Education, our professors know from day one that their sala- exemplifies how which comprised representatives of seven uni- ries depend on student tuitions and this puts stu- versities. All higher education institutions were dents at the center of everything we do.” entrepreneurs can state-subsidized and had little interest in see- IDC’s independence from Israel’s Council ing the country add more universities, since of Higher Education also freed Reichman from make a difference each new facility would diminish their share of government limits on professor salaries. As a available state resources. This barrier prevented result, the university has succeeded in attract- on a macro level” the natural advancements that occur through ing highly respected professors from American competition and limited students’ options, con- universities back to Israel. -Sam Zell sequently presenting a challenge for the pro- Reichman’s bold entrepreneurial spirit is gressive mobility of the younger generation. embodied in the culture and programming of IDC, which in 2001 attracted the attention of billionaire investor Sam Zell and led to the cre- ation of the Zell Entrepreneurship Program at “Our goal is to educate the next generation the university. of the nation’s leaders. If we see and respect “An important focus in securing the fu- students as leaders-in-training, we create lasting ture of Israel is our economic independence. relationships; we nurture the future of Israel. "Israel’s future Our internal market is small, we cannot trade These are the dividends of our not-for-profi t in- with our immediate neighbors, and we have stitution,” said Reichman. depends on the no natural resources. So it is the creativity and Today, there are 1,400 students from 86 entrepreneurship of our people that must sus- different countries studying at IDC and the vast next generation.” tain our economy,” said Reichman. “Further, this majority of them are Jewish. Twenty-fi ve per- approach encourages our students to be inde- cent of the student body is from abroad and -Prof. Uriel Reichman pendent thinkers. They should not wait for the half of all the Jewish students from abroad who government to solve their problems,” Reichman study in Israel attend IDC. The implications for added. “Nor should they allow fear of failure to the country are substantial because those for- deter them.” eign students take their interest and intercon- At the same time, Reichman believes IDC nection with Israel home. They are more likely has a responsibility to foster a social conscious- to take a leadership role among the Jewish com- ness in students, in general, and specifi cally munity abroad and remain in touch with Israel. Reichman believed the time had come for in serving Israel and the Jewish people. The To further this end, IDC created the Raphael another type of academia, and as a former lieu- university offers more than 40 social projects Recanati International School that established tenant in the paratroopers of the Israel Defense that enable students to contribute their time to full degree programs in English, again, the fi rst Forces in the early 1960s, he was not averse worthwhile endeavors, such as helping out in in the country. to taking risks. With minimal capital on hand, poor communities, teaching the Internet to the Currently, IDC is conducting a university- he purchased an abandoned military camp and elderly or assisting handicapped people. wide effort to evolve the university’s curricula. opened IDC. Friends and colleagues were wor- IDC also builds its emphasis on social re- The goal is to remain fresh and relevant. ried, but Reichman held to his conviction. sponsibility into its tuition structure. The university “That is the beauty of being independent “Many felt that I would be open to lawsuits offers a special admission policy for those who and entrepreneurial,” concludes Reichman. from students who would attend but not be able serve fi ve years in the military and features special “You are always striving to improve. I see IDC to graduate or from professors who I recruited policies for people who have demonstrated lead- as a new defi nition of the pioneering spirit of but then might have to fi re,” he remembers. ership in their respective communities. the founding fathers of Israel.”• 38 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2012 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3 The Zell Entrepreneurship Program at IDC The Multiplier Effect of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Liat Aaronson “TAKE EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW businesses. In fact, many of the new compa- a venture they want to launch or that they’re about being an entrepreneur, mix it with men- nies started as a result of the Zell Program are already working on, or present a business issue torship, add steroids, and you’ve got the IDC in the technology industry. for discussion. Zell Entrepreneurship Program,” says Eyal Gura, “Because of the Internet, the world today True to the IDC mission of fostering social a program graduate who founded the online is fl at,” she adds. “Israelis can create business consciousness, the Zell Program places heavy image sites PicScout and PicApp, and then sold models and technical innovations and expand emphasis on community. All new students are them for a collective $30 million. into markets they wouldn’t have been able to assigned to social entrepreneurship projects fo- Since its inception in 2001, the IDC Zell enter as easily in the past. Zell entrepreneurs cused on giving back –- from fruit-picking to Program has evolved into an acclaimed venture- often go into Internet ventures because it’s creating incubator, providing students with an relatively easy to gain domain expertise as an opportunity to apply advanced entrepreneurial undergraduate.” “I would never have studies to launch real world business ventures. To Aaronson says that the Zell Program date, more than 30 companies have been founded itself evolved like a start up. When Professor believed a one-year as a result of the Entrepreneurship Program. Reichman created the program, the core idea The six-month application process for the was to instill the entrepreneurial mindset in program could have Zell Program is so stringent it self-selectively students, but there wasn’t a clear idea of how such an amazing narrows the number of finalists. Aside from to execute that vision. Initially, the program minimal grade requirements, students must tried a purely consulting approach that teamed impact on my life.” have previous entrepreneurial activity or busi- professors and students. Then it tried apply- ness experience, and often leadership and vol- ing a business plan writing approach. Finally, -Shirley Schwartz unteer experience, as well as a demonstrated the program hit on the successful formula of strong work ethic. After initial screening by a balancing academic rigor and practical learn- (Zell Class of 2008-9) committee, only about 100 serious applicants ing through team projects that try to germinate make it to the interview round, where they ideas into real business ventures before the end of the academic year. visiting elderly Holocaust survivors to conduct- Often, students try out their business ideas ing workshops. Additionally, there is an alumni and fail, and that experience of rebounding af- initiative called Zell Gives Back, which involves “The Zell Program terward is a critical lesson. a group of alumni who are working with a lo- “Being able to handle rejection and to cal Israeli school to build a high-tech education is an eco system bounce back after something doesn’t work is center; they’re currently raising funds and devel- a building block of the entrepreneurial spirit,” oping a business model to make it sustainable.