DAVID HARRIS
Jerusalem Post Service
Every year thousands of young Israelis leave their homeshores in search of a college education. Come September and these would-be lawyers, doctors and engineers arrive at universities in Europe, the United States and other more exotic locations, hoping they will be able to cope with the unfamiliar language, climate and social scene.
There are those who believe this exodus of young talent leads to brain drain, as the students decide to settle in the land of their alma maters.
Among those critical of this sapping of Israel's gray matter is Israeli Professor Yoram Neumann, who, together with his wife, Edith, has also deserted his native domicile for the city of Carson, located between Los Angeles and Long Beach.
For the time being, however, the tall, impeccably dressed 49-year-old intends to continue as dean of Cal State Dominguez Hills School of Management in Carson. But Neumann has begun a process that he hopes will encourage Israelis to stay at home to complete their studies.
Neumann was in Israel recently, overseeing the final preparations for Cal State Dominguez Hill's new campus at Hod Hasharon and its English language bachelor's program in business administration.
The campus is just a few kilometers away from Tel Aviv, where, as an academic reserve, Neumann received a bachelor's degree in economics and statistics, and a master's in business administration.
From Tel Aviv, Neumann moved to the States and earned a Ph.D. in management and organizational behavior at Cornell University. He then flitted between positions at Ben-Gurion and Boston universities, before arriving at the Cal State campus in 1990.
"We didn't plan to stay there for a long period of time, but it was a lingering effect," says Neumann, defending his decision to move west. "I started to build something, and when you're in the middle of something you don't have any time to think about moving."
Neumann is clearly driven by a strong belief in the value of understanding and developing organizational management. "It's the sector that mobilized the economy, and it creates employment opportunities and is related to the quality of life," he says.
While lecturing in the United States on general management issues, Neumann frequently visits Israel and remains well informed on its economic trends. Like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Neumann maintains Israel's economy can achieve 8 percent to 9 percent annual growth, hopefully not at the cost of high inflation.
Israel's economic growth is one of the key reasons Cal State Dominguez Hills is opening its Israeli school in January. "We hope to build a network in well-placed countries, with an infrastructure and dynamism that encourages our understanding of what the future is going to be," says Robert C. Detweiller, president of Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Detweiller and Neumann see Israel as a major stepping-stone to the university's development. But does Israel really see Cal State Dominguez Hills School of Management as an aid to its economic globalization?
"I think the influx of foreign university schools is part of the privatization of this country," says Neumann.
Detweiller offers another perceived benefit of such a movement. "A few years on, this will make Israel one of the leaders in the education industry and instead of sending its sons and daughters away, not only would they stay here, but foreigners would also come here to learn, including Palestinians, other Mediterranean peoples and Americans," Detweiller says.
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