The Halbert Centre sponsors visiting professors to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for a short-term visit of 1-4 weeks. During their stay in Jerusalem some of the visiting Canadian scholars give a departmental and/or a public lecture, meet with Israeli and other colleagues, engage in research, and some teach a course.

 

The call for candidates from Canadian universities draws a large and varied cross-section of academics. Their motivation to spend time in Israel is drawn from their desire to learn from the situation in Israel, to experience the place, and some even return to Israel again and again to discover Israel for extended periods of time.

 

The Academic Committees in Jerusalem and in Canada while assessing the candidates' academic merit and teaching experience take into account the needs of the various academic departments at the Hebrew University. The committees have tried to ensure that every department will benefit from the visit and teaching.

 

Thirty-five long-term visitors were at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem between 1978/79 and 1996/97 with the exception of 1990/91 (the year of the Gulf War). All but two were from Canada itself. The Canadians represented fourteen different universities from across the country from Memorial University in the east to the University of British Columbia in the west. As expected, the majority (twenty of thirty-three) were from Central Canada (southern Ontario and southern Quebec). This spatial distribution facilitated the development of a wider range of connections. These visiting scholars were affiliated with seventeen different departments from the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Schools of Law and Social Work. Twenty-eight short-term visiting professors were invited by the Halbert Centre to speak and conduct research in Jerusalem. During their one- to four-week stays, they usually address an Israeli audience and meet with their local counterparts.

 

 

*Applications for the Visiting Professors programme must be submitted by the chair of the hosting department at the Hebrew University. Utilization of the grant is valid for a period of 12 months, beginning in October of the following year. The budget will be managed by the Halbert Center, according to the budgetary details stated  in the grant proposal.