Since Ono Academic College was founded, over 25 years ago, the face of Israeli society has been changing.

Ono Academic College was established in order to be an educational institution accessible to all groups and demographics, especially to those who found themselves previously excluded from higher education.

We do this out of the belief that the acquisition of higher education is key to a life of freedom, the pursuit of happiness, and self-fulfillment, as well as the building of an Israeli society that is tolerant, multicultural, and diverse, as our ancestors sought to establish.

The six campuses of Ono Academic College are a meeting place for populations excluded from education who want to integrate into the Israeli job market. In addition to studying together side-by-side, our multicultural campuses work to integrate diverse populations without assimilating them into each other and without compromising the cultural identity of any student or group entering its gates.

Aspects of Ono’s Ongoing Work to Promote Social Change

At other institutions, students from different groups flock together, while common areas are largely dominated by one culture. At Ono, we strive to make the entire campus a model of multiculturalism and an example for higher education all across Israel.

Ono Academic College takes these steps to work toward that goal:

  • All students take a number of required courses to get acquainted with the diverse society in which we live.
  • Students from different groups work on long-term projects together in their fields of study that seek to help the underprivileged communities around us.
  • The college creates internal forums for real dialogue, discussion, and deliberation between the representatives of the various populations. This idea underlies our flagship project: “Batsavta Hada” (Together as One) – in which outstanding students from all groups in Israeli society sit and try to reach agreements and consensus regarding the management of their lives together.
  • Ono organizes student activities to mark the many unique holidays celebrated by Israel’s three major religions.
  • Students are accompanied throughout their studies by a team of experts in multiculturalism who help them overcome difficulties, develop cultural sensitivity, and support a rich multicultural campus life.
  • The Ono Center for Clinical Social Law operates professional clinics designed to provide legal assistance to the public while training students to work in the field. Current clinics touch on many areas of life, such as human rights, consumer rights, family law, environment, entrepreneurship, and more.
  • The Program for the Advancement of Ethiopian Students at Ono Academic College includes more than 150 Ethiopian students who receive academic reinforcement, career guidance, and tuition support.
  • The OFEC project provides a special program for military and security forces personnel, which includes the provision of scholarships and close administrative support from the beginning to the end of their degrees.
  • Establishment of separate campuses for the ultra-Orthodox population, in which more than 1,500 male and female students study, for bachelor’s degrees in law and business administration, with the aim of integrating them into the Israeli labor market.
  • Academic programs for members of the national religious Zionism community that create dialogue in Israeli society.
  • Scholarship systems for residents of the periphery.

After more than 25 years of work promoting social advancement to change the face of Israeli society, we see both how far we have come and how far we still have to go.