In Loving Memory – Dr. Yoram Neumann, PhD
Dr. Yoram Neumann, PhD
(May 11, 1947 to April 14, 2020)
Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer
Touro University Worldwide
Dr. Yoram Neumann led Touro University Worldwide (TUW) as the Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He received his PhD in Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management from Cornell University. He earned both an MBA and BS in Economics and Statistics from Tel-Aviv University.
With a highly esteemed career in higher education and as an award winning pioneer for online learning, Dr. Yoram Neumann possessed an incredible academic leadership background. Some highlights include: President and CEO of United States University; President, CEO, and founder of Touro University International (TUI); Executive Vice President and Provost for California State University, Dominguez Hills; Director, Graduate Program in Technology Strategy and Policy at Boston University; and Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
One of Dr. Neumann’s most notable accomplishments was the founding of Touro University International (TUI) in 1998; the first university in the world to offer regionally accredited PhD programs online with no residency requirements. The university was built on an innovative online learning model that Dr. Neumann first presented in a professional conference about 25 years ago. He named the model, the Robust Learning Model (RLM), and it had been built on quality standards that is considered one of the primary pillars of online-learning paradigms in higher education and recognized by regional accreditors. The model is centered on adult learner student needs, ensuring high standards of academic performance, retention and graduation that is applicable to all degree programs (Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate).
For 11 years (1998-2009), Dr. Yoram Neumann, along with the late Dr. Edith Neumann, former TUW Chief Academic Officer and Provost, led TUI to successfully graduate 14,000 proud alumni. From no courses in 1998, TUI offered more than 50,000 course registrations by 2009. Both government and military students had exceptional participation, which can be attributed to Dr. Yoram Neumann’s passion for the military having served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for numerous years. TUI was sold in 2007 to a private equity group for $190 million dollars.
In 2008, Touro founded Touro University Worldwide to replace the educational void that the sale of TUI left. Drs. Neumann returned to the Touro system in July 2012 to assume leadership of Touro University Worldwide. As Chancellor and CEO, Dr. Yoram Neumann continued In keeping with Touro’s founding mission and principles, and built TUW upon the Judaic foundation and the values it represents. Those values involve a commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit and service to society, and the underserved.
Dr. Neumann’s expertise in online learning earned him the “Establishing Best Practices in Online Education” award from the Academy of Business Administration and the award for “Unique Achievements in Distance Learning in Management” from Hyundai Motor America. Dr. Neumann was awarded the internationally recognized “Gold Hermes” award in 2019 for the journal article “The Robust Learning Model (RLM): A comprehensive approach to a new online university” published in The Journal of College Teaching and Learning.
An accomplished scholar and researcher, Dr. Yoram Neumann authored and co-authored multiple books and numerous peer reviewed articles in top tier journals in management, business administration, and higher education over the course of his career.
There are not enough words to express Dr. Yoram Neumann’s achievements, contributions to the academic world and society as he was a larger than life thinker; he was just a great man that cared about humanity.
Dr. Yoram Neumann will be sorely missed by his family, friends, the entire Touro community and all those who had the opportunity to be blessed by his presence.
