The Technion is the oldest educational institution of university rank in Israel. It was founded in 1912 by a group of far-sighted men from around the world, including K.Z. Wissotsky of Moscow, Jacob H. Schiff of New York, Julius Rosenwald of Chicago, and Dr. Paul Nathan of Berlin. The outbreak of World War II delayed the opening of the Technion until 1924. Since then its graduates have supplied more than half of the technically trained manpower for the scientific and industrial development programs of Israel.

The original institute was built at the foot of Mt. Carmel, intended to accommodate about 300 students. Today close to 9,000 students are enrolled in the Technion, the affiliated Junior Technical College, and Technical High School. A new campus, Technion City, consisting of 300 acres on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, was deeded to the school by the Government of Israel. The campus, still growing, currently consists of more than 20 buildings which include aeronautical, hydraulics, building research, soil research, and other laboratories; classroom, library and workshop buildings; and dormitories.

The Technion’s College of Engineering, with its faculties of civil, mechanical, chemical, agricultural, and aeronautical engineering and departments of architecture and town planning, currently supplies Israel with engineers, applied scientists, and high-level technicians. Its various research laboratories are engaged in solving some of the manifold problems of Israel’s pioneering economy. Since 1940, the American Technion Society has been aiding the Technion with funds and scholarships, making it possible for select graduates to come to the U.S. for a year of practical experience in American industrial plants.