Shalom: Hebrew for peace between two entities

Faculty from the three colleges listening to a lecture given by Professor Moshe Shner about the city of Acco. /Photo | Mary Ellen Mcguire-Schwartz

The Rhode Island-Israel College Consortium (Project RIICC), an inter-institutional partnership between Rhode Island College and two higher education institutions in Israel, Beit Berl Academic College (BBC) and Oranim Academic College of Education (OAC), is bearing fruit.

The consortium organized an international conference in Israel that was held at BBC on Jan. 7 and at OAC on Jan. 8. OAC is the largest and leading college of education in North Israel. BBC is the largest college in number of students and range of programs.

Titled “Not in My Backyard: Inter-Cultural Inclusion in Educational Systems and in Society,” the conference included presentations by RIC faculty from the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development: Professor of Educational Studies Ellen Bigler; Professor of Elementary Education Ezra Stieglitz; and Associate Professors of Elementary Education Elizabeth Henshaw, Maria Lawrence and Mary Ellen McGuire-Schwartz.

They presented original research and conducted workshops on teaching strategies. In some of the sessions, their presentations were held jointly with their BBC and OAC colleagues. Stieglitz delivered a keynote titled “Addressing Religious Diversity in the United States from a Multicultural Education Perspective.”

This conference would not have been possible without the great support of the presidents of the two colleges, Professor Tamar Ariav of BBC and Professor Yaarah Bar-On of OAC. The members of the Rhode Island contingent certainly feel that the partnership with these Israeli institutions of higher education has been successful and valued.

Project RIICC was initiated in 2011 by RIC President Nancy Carriuolo when she traveled to Israel on a group trade mission led by Gov. Chafee. The governor was originally supposed to accompany the trade mission. However, he was unable to because of pressing business in Rhode Island. “During my visits, I talked with Israeli faculty and administrators about the ways in which RIC and their own institutions might collaborate for the benefit of both,” said Carriuolo. “The trip unearthed numerous possibilities.”

A contractual partnership was established in 2012 and bore first fruit in 2013 when eight RIC faculty members flew to Israel to meet with their counterparts at OAC and BBC. There they discussed collaborative activities that would strengthen ties between the faculties at the three institutions. During their eight days in Israel, RIC faculty also had the opportunity to visit Israeli elementary schools and to tour important cultural and historical sites.

The same year, faculties from BBC and OAC visited Rhode Island for a weeklong visit that included dialogue between the faculty, a dinner reception at RIC sponsored by Carriuolo, visits to Providence public schools and the city’s two Jewish day schools and tours of important cultural and historical sites. 

“The plan for the future is to expand the scope of Project RIICC,” said Stieglitz. This could include faculty exchanges and providing opportunities for faculty from other disciplines to participate in the project.  According to Stieglitz, “Members of the consortium remain committed to continuing the relationship and to continuing efforts to foster international collaboration and cooperation.”

For more information about Project RIICC, please contact Ezra Stieglitz at estieglitz@ric.edu

Editor’s Note: This article is based on an article originally published on the RIC website on Dec. 31, 2014.

EZRA STIEGLITZ is professor of Elementary Education and GITA BROWN is writer/editor in the office of College Communications and Marketing at Rhode Island College.