AAEGE-Israel - Association of Grandes Ecoles Alumni in Israel

AAEGE-Israel is the association of alumni of French Grandes Ecoles in Israel.

Grandes Ecoles ? What's that ?

The Grandes Ecoles are the main channel in France for education in engineering, management, high administration and certain scientific fields such as veterinary science. The oldest were created in the 18th century according to the German model of higher education: 2 years of intensive general scientific studies in "preparatory classes", followed by 3 years of more specialized studies. This 5-years cursus leads to a Master degree according to French law and to European conventions.

Studies in Grandes Ecoles are highly selective:

Students in preparatory classes are selected among the 5 % best students after Baccalaureat.
In preparatory classes, studies are very intensive, with about 60-70 hours of studies a week (including personal homework), leading to a drop-up rate of about 8%, mostly voluntary. Students who give up continue successful studies in French Universities, where they are welcome.
Admission to a Grande Ecole, after the preparatory classes, is conditioned to success at a highly competitive national entrance exam to the Grandes Ecoles. The number of students in each "Grande Ecole" is limited (between 100 and a few hundred) and many students have to study a third year in preparatory classes in order to reach the requested high-level.
Once accepted, top-level teaching in Grandes Ecoles involves classes, research and common projects with the industrial and economic world.
In France, most top managers in economy, industry, high administration, and politics graduated from Grandes Ecoles. A small sample: Presidents of the French Republic G. Pompidou, V. Giscard d'Estaing, J. Chirac... Politicians J.P. Raffarin, A. Juppe, D. Strauss-Kahn, M. Barnier, F. Hollande, L. Fabius... The CEOs of 30 out of the 40 greatest companies...Industrialists C. Ghosn, M. Bloch-Dassault, A. Citroen.... Nobel Prizes G. Charpak, M. Allais, C. Cohen-Tannoudji , G. Debreu , P.G. de Gennes , G. Lippmann , L. Neel , J.B. Perrin , P. Sabatier... Fields Medals L. Schwartz , J.P. Serre , R. Thom , A. Connes , P.L. Lions , J.C. Yoccoz , L. Lafforgue... Writers J.P. Sartre, R. Aron, H. Bergson, C. Peguy, L. Sedar Senghor...

Links:

presentation of Grandes Ecoles at the Commission franco-americaine d’echanges universitaires et culturels
presentation of Grandes Ecoles at ParisTech
presentation of Grandes Ecoles to Americans
official list of engineering Grandes Ecoles at the Commission des Titres d'Ingenieurs
official list of management Grandes Ecoles at the Bulletin Officiel of February 2005
a very convenient alphabetic list of the Grandes Ecoles at the Conference des Grandes Ecoles (public association, "Loi 1901")
the group X-Israel of friends of Israel within the alumni association of Polytechnique Grande Ecole ; Affinity groups at Polytechnique
the group Essec-Israel of friends of Israel at Essec Grande Ecole
the association AJGE of Jewish students in Grandes Ecoles
see in Wikipedia famous alumni of Ecole Normale Superieure, Polytechnique , Ecole Centrale Paris , Mines de Paris and in Category: Grandes Ecoles . See also alumni associations .

An association of alumni ? What for ?

Immigration of French Grandes Ecoles alumni to Israel is as old as the State of Israel itself. The number of alumni of each Grande Ecole in Israel is of up to 10-15, which has always made it difficult to organize significative activities for a group of alumni of one single Grande Ecole. In March 2003, official representatives of several French alumni associations in Israel combined their efforts to form the AAEGE-Israel, which is the Israeli section of AAEGE-Asie , the Association of Grandes Ecoles Alumni in Asia (there are groups in China, Japan, Taiwan,...). AAEGE-Israel now counts more than 200 members who graduated from more than 40 French Grandes Ecoles.

The aims of AAEGE-Israel are:

to develop friendship and professional contacts between alumni in Israel, and with alumni in France interested in Israel.
to help new (and less new) immigrants find internships and jobs in Israel - and find employees who graduated from Grandes Ecoles.
to exchange information about one own's professional activities ; about Israel's achievements in science, industry, economy and culture ; about French-Israeli cooperation.
de facto, we also had to intervene since 2004 at the Israeli Parliament and in Israeli media for the recognition of diplomas of Grandes Ecoles in Israel - in particular in order to help new immigrants in the work market.

The AAEGE-Israel tries to achieve these aims with the following means:

diffusion among its members of a complete Internet newsletter (about 5 a year, number 14 in August 2005) and of more punctual announcements (2 to 3 a month) ; these publications often lead to Internet contacts between members who wish it.
organization of dinner parties with a conference twice a year, in general in June/December, in Tel Aviv/Jerusalem ; the 5th dinner took place in June 2005 in Jerusalem and the number of participants at each dinner runs from 30 to about 45.
cooperation with other Israeli non-profit associations and with French alumni associations.
articles in Israeli and French media.
the use of a non-public web-site to archive newsletters, announcements, documents, conference presentations ; the archives are updated very regularly while this home page is fixed (last update: September 2005).

The AAEGE-Israel works according to the following principles:

inscription is free ; voluntary work is performed without any compensation ; AAEGE-Israel is a non-profit association functioning without budget (at the dinners, everyone pays for his meal directly to the restaurant) ; no commercial use of the mailing-list ; no fund-rising.
AAEGE-Israel does not deal with political or religious topics ; polemical subjects are avoided ; consensus is looked for.
collective organization (no president, secretary, etc...) ; every one provides his work to AAEGE-Israel according to his abilities and wishes.

You can contact us at the following addresses in order to get in touch with the relevant team:

Information team for information on the association, media contacts, access to our archives.
Inscription team for inscription/des-inscription to the mailing-list and to the group, and to change e-mail: please provide first name, family name, e-mail address, Grande Ecole of graduation.
Diploma team for information on recognition of Grandes Ecoles diplomas in Israel and related topics (combined studies, etc...) . A report on diplomas recognition is available upon request.
Employment team to send us job offers and demands ; we also work in full partnership with http://www.dispositif-emploi.com
Dinners team for information on the dinner parties and events, and for their organization.
Newsletter team to propose articles to the newsletter.

We will be happy to answer you , as far as our intensive professional activities allow it. We will also be very happy if you join us (by sending an e-mail to the inscription team): our group will also be more efficient in the search of its aims - if it grows... See you soon at AAEGE-Israel !