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Birzeit  University (Background) :was established as a college in the village of Birzeit, just north of Jerusalem in the center of the West Bank, in 1924. Since then it has acted as a forum for all the political debates facing the Palestinians over the decades. Birzeit's commitment to academic freedom and thought is acknowledged as a valuable resource in the region. The college  offered journalism courses as far back as 1960. In 1993, it began to expand its journalism activities substantially.  
The university's Media Center  now offers an academic program leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio. It also offers diplomas for short- and long term courses lasting between 6 and 12 months in print and radio journalism.  
The university is the only one in the region to have a student operated radio station that broadcasts to the local community. This began in June 1996 project funded by the German Greens Party's H. Boell Foundation. The radio station serves educational and professional training purposes simultaneously. The university has opened its facilities to grassroots organizations, allowing them public access to broadcasting.  
One of the aims of the center is to encourage the development of independent audio/visual media and improve technical skills in audio/visual production and computer technologies of local residents and members of civic organizations.  
By the end of the 1998, the university will have completed construction of new facilities to be used for media education and training, and for production of a newspaper and broadcast programs. This facility will be the home of the new "under construction" TV Training Unit. The ultimate goal of the university is to create a School of Journalism.  
The university's Media Center enjoys good relations with media and civic organizations in Palestine and abroad. The BZ University is making use of its international connections to enhance its education and training programs. The MC has been working on various ... 

cooperative programs:  
With the Journalism School of the University of Missouri at Columbia since 1995. It includes a teacher exchange, training and research. The Missouri School of Journalism, which has one of the most prestigious journalism programs in the United States, helped Birzeit University prepare the undergraduate curriculum leading to a BA in Birzeit University. This cooperative program has just finalized a report on the different media programs in vireos arab neighboring countries like Egypt , Lebanon and Jordan .  
An in-depth program for journalists already working in Palestinian newspapers in cooperation with the Swedish Institute for further journalism training " FOJO ". It is funded by SIDA, the Swedish International Development Agency.  
Short radio training programs were launched at the Birzeit University Media Center in 1996. The first radio training program was funded by the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation. Today it offers training in radio techniques, radio drama & acoustics. The second main Radio program, funded by the German H. Boell Foundation, bestowed diplomas to 16 young Palestinian radio journalists, who are now working in the field.  
In September 1998, the Media Center has launched a new project, time in downtown Ramallah: the Palestinian Media Resource Unit, which is a gathering place for professional journalists in the country, offering a long list of services for Palestinian Journalists and International journalists working in the country .  

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