About YVC

The Yezreel Valley lies along the southern border of the Lower Galilee, and extends from the hills of Nazareth in the north to Mount Gilboa in the south, and from the Carmel Mountains to the west to the Jordan Valley in the east. The heartland of the Halutzim’s early agricultural efforts, numerous pioneering agricultural settlements were established here during the early 20th century, including Nahalal, Merchavia and Kfar Yehoshua, representing a formidable chapter in the history of modern Israel. Many of the pioneers from these kibbutzim and moshavim, now in their seventies and eighties, study at YVC as part of the “Vatikei HaEmek” program.

Today, as northern Israel’s economy has shifted away from agriculture, YVC is playing a key role in preparing successive generations to face the challenges of our ever changing world. For the young people, both Jewish and Arab, growing up in the towns and villages of the Yezreel Valley, the opportunity to acquire an academic degree without having to migrate away from the region that they love represents an empowering leap into the 21st century.

Prof. Itzhak Harpaz

President

Itzhak Harpaz, Professor of Management (PhD, Human Resources and Labor Studies, University of Minnesota) is an expert in human resource management, organizational behavior, industrial/employment relations & cross-cultural comparative management. He was Dean of Graduate Studies and Director and founder of the Center for the Study of Organizations & Human Resource Management at the University of Haifa.
Harpaz has served in a number of public offices, including as a member of Israel’s National Council of Higher Education, a lay judge in Israel’s National labor Court, and the chairperson of the Industrial Relations Research Association of Israel. He was a visiting professor in several North American universities, including The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, The Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto, Boston College, and Brigham Young University.
Professor Harpaz is an author or co-author of more than 100 scientific publications in prestigious international scientific journals, and has authored or co-authored seven books.
Harpaz has received many awards & grants from prominent institutions such as the European Commission, the United States-Israel Bi-National Science Foundation (BSF), the National Council for Research and Development, the Israel Foundation Trustees (Ford Foundation), the Israel Science Foundation, and the Ministry of Science, Ministry of Labor and Welfare, and National Insurance Institute of Israel. He is a recipient of a Competitive Teaching Innovations Award and Best Teaching Award. Harpaz has supervised more than 60 MA, PhD and Post-Doctoral students.

Sagi Melamed

VP External Relations and Development

Sagi Melamed is the Vice President for External Relations & Development at the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, where he focuses on enriching the society and developing the economy of Israel’s northern periphery through quality higher education.
Since his graduation from Harvard University in 1996 with an MA in Middle Eastern Studies, Sagi has held senior positions in the non-profit and higher education sectors, all focused on strengthening the economic and social fabric of the Galilee. He is a founding partner in MASIG – a consulting firm which builds development capacity for non-profit organizations.
Sagi was the founder and Chief Instructor (4th Dan Black Belt) of the Shotokan Karate Club in his community of Hoshaya in the Galilee, a Captain in the Israeli Defense Forces and a board member of Budo for Peace.
Currently serving as President of the Harvard Club of Israel, Sagi was a Founding Board Member of the Middle East University and the Founding Director of the Jordan Valley Cross-Border Cooperation Center.
Born in kibbutz Ramat Yochanan, Sagi represents the third generation in a family that were founders of the kibbutz movement and the State of Israel. He is the author of Son of My Land (2012) and Fundraising (2016).

YVC is a young and lively liberal arts college located in the heartland of Northern Israel, with more than 5200 students drawn from cities, development towns, villages, kibbutzim and agricultural settlements. The College makes a significant contribution to higher education in the periphery of Israel, where students represent a genuine Israeli mosaic, consisting of all layers and sections of society. We are proud of our highly motivated and devoted academic and administrative staff, and very enthusiastic and eager students aspiring to learn and develop their skills. Many students are the first generation in their families to acquire higher education. After being here for a short while, one realizes the distinct atmosphere which envelops the valley and the special culture that has developed at the college.

Those who enter the gates of YVC can notice a palpable sense of vitality and momentum here, and this intellectual energy can be felt in the research centers, workshops, classrooms and the surroundings of the campus. We enjoy a great reputation in academia and we are proud to be considered among the top tier colleges in Israel.

Since its establishment YVC has been defined by its unwavering commitment to our students’ academic and personal development. We have worked tirelessly to create a campus culture that prioritizes quality education, as well as respect and collegiality among students, faculty and staff. We offer students a welcoming learning environment that is rich with diversity. We strive continually to provide a highly valuable and relevant education for today’s emerging citizen leaders. Our broad range of resources, programs and services are tailored to help students succeed personally and academically, and to prepare for their future professional success. Our dedicated staff and faculty are fully committed to helping students succeed.

As you explore YVC for yourself, you will quickly learn that there is something very special about the YCV community. I encourage you to consider visiting and joining us.

Sincerely,

Itzhak Harpaz, President

The pioneers who opened up and revitalized the Yezreel Valley from the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th played a decisive role in the history of the State of Israel.

Join us in honoring these unique individuals and the traditions they created anew in Israel’s agricultural heartland.

Remember and Honor

The Remember and Honor program was created to ensure that the opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from Holocaust survivors is not lost. Matching survivors living in the Yezreel Valley with YVC students, the project combines these one-on-one encounters with formal teaching about the Holocaust, thus providing students with a profoundly nuanced and meaningful understanding of the European Jewish communities that were destroyed as well as a glimpse into the personal experiences of those who survived. In the process it also serves to reinforce and deepen the participants’ Jewish identity. Additionally, for the survivors the program is both a validating experience as they are listened to and share their stories and an opportunity to enjoy the companionship and assistance of young, vibrant students. A partnership with Yad Vashem and the YVC Hillel House, support for this program will enable us to increase the number of survivors and students able to participate in this unique initiative.