Israeli students
Israeli studentsIsrael News Photo: Flash 90
Recent political events and the economic crisis have not lessened the demand for Israeli students in business administration programs in the United States, according to the United States-Israel Educational Foundation, which will soon hold its sixth annual MBA conference in Tel Aviv.



The United States-Israel Educational Foundation was established in 1956 by mutual agreement between Israel and the United States. The Foundation directs the Fulbright scholarship program in Israel.  



Conference organizers report that the number of leading American universities participating in Israel's yearly MBA conference has swelled yearly, with a record number participating in 2010. Among the American participants are first-timers Yale and NYU,  Stanford, Brandeis, MIT, Duke, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, Kellogg, Harvard , TUCK and others.



Competition for Israeli students is so high, that some of the universities involved have begun courting them before the conference even begins. A live online panel including representatives from UC Berkeley, Harvard, Columbia University and the University of North Carolina will field questions of students prior to the conference, and attempt to enroll the students before they have a chance to be attracted by other universities participating in the conference.



"Israeli students are proving themselves as superb students on the academic and social levels, and the various universities believe in the contribution of the Israeli student to the student body attending their business administration programs," said Galit Adisman, senior studies consultant at the US-Israel Educational Foundation.



"In light of these facts, the University of North Carolina has chosen to provide two or three full scholarships for Israeli students taking part in its MBA program," Adisman said.



Based on data from the US - Israel Educational Foundation, there are currently approximately 3,061 Israeli students working toward various degrees in the United States, with about 160 expected to enroll in the coming year.