At the University of Haifa, our compass is set towards environmental and social sustainability, in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 targets provide a roadmap for the future of humanity and our planet. We are advancing towards these goals through research, teaching, public engagement, and organizational operations. 

The unique geographic area in which we operate – from the mountain (Carmel national park campus), through the city (Downtown Haifa Campus) and into the sea (laboratories along the Mediterranean) – serves as a living laboratory for the research of people and the environment. Our researchers’ international network contributes to collaboration and dissemination of knowledge. Whereas the findings of our investigations are often local, the impact is global. 

Beyond our commitment to research excellence, we are dedicated to training present and future generations with emphasis on social and environmental subjects. We offer students the opportunity to earn a bachelors, maters, or doctorate in 6 faculties: Social Sciences, Social Welfare and Health Sciences, Education, Law, Humanities, Marine Sciences.  Furthermore, the university offers several interdisciplinary academic programs, where students double major and are thus informed by different fields of knowledge. 

By the wide network of community relations, the University of Haifa assumes an additional role: public engagement. Through high quality education, we advance social mobility and contribute to closing existing gaps. Moreover, our students take part in sustainability research that contributes to the advancement of society and the environment.  

Our students and faculty represent a rich cross-section of Israel society: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassian; religious and secular; residents of the country’s center and periphery; citizens and security personnel. We provide a rich student-life through which our diverse student body research and learn together in a pluralistic, tolerant, and accepting environment. Their studies combine theory and practice thereby expanding the living laboratory.

University of Haifa exposes students to the most up-to-date information and expands professional horizons for its Alumni. Studies at University of Haifa enable students to advance both their social (i.e. poverty and hunger reduction, inequalities, justice and peace) and environmental (i.e. climate challenges, preserving ecological systems on land and at sea) values. Students have the option of advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through diverse course offerings, and experiential learning through programs such as the innovation and entrepreneurship lab or the civil law clinics. Alongside academic programs, students are invited to take part in social and communal activities offered by the Dean of Students Office. 

The University of Haifa also advances social and environmental sustainability through our internal operations. With regards to environmental sustainability, the University of Haifa is the first Israeli institute for higher education to be recognized by the Ministry of Environmental Protection as a “Green Campus,” and is currently the country’s only campus to be recognized as ISO14001 compliant by the Israel Standards Institute. The certification ensures that we operate strategically in order to reduce carbon emissions; electricity, water, gas, and paper usage; and are committed to green building practices. From a social perspective, the University works towards demographic and gender diversity among its faculty and administrative staff, and incentivizes healthy living on campus. In addition, the University has ISO18001 certification for security and accessibility. 

Through research, student activities, operations, and collaborations with the business, public, and non-profit section, the University of Haifa is having a positive impact on a better future.