BGU | Fundraising Handbook

development of Africa. Its interdisciplinary approach enriches students, exposing them to a wide range of fields, including political science, history, economics, geography, environmental development, anthropology, and sociology. BGU is home to numerous academic programs, including the African Studies program mentioned above and the Conflict Management and Resolution Program , the Gender Studies Program , the Woodman-Scheller Israel Studies International Program , and the Mandel Social Leadership MBA Program . Each of them contributes to the University’s ability to serve as a magnet, attracting a wide range of Israeli and international students to BGU. Given the ability of novel academic programs to enhance both our recruitment efforts and the research performed at BGU, there is a need to develop new programs and support existing programs. BGU’s Commitment to Developing New Academic Programs Novel academic programs allow BGU to stand out from other institutions of higher learning, holding the potential to enhance recruitment and attract outstanding students to the University. Academic programs often enhance research and the applications and solutions emerging from it, and create opportunities for collaborative research, drawing on the expertise of various BGU researchers to achieve a research goal or solve a problem. The establishment of new academic programs will also contribute to BGU’s ability to fulfill its strategic plan and achieve its goals of becoming Israel’s leading university for research, teaching, and contribution to society and one of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning. Given their contribution to BGU’s advancement, the University is committed to supporting existing academic programs and establishing new programs, particularly interdisciplinary programs. Academic Programs: Part of a Comprehensive Approach to BGU’s Advancement Academic programs help BGU distinguish itself from other institutions of higher learning. This is critical in Israel, where the pool of graduate students is limited and the University aims to attract the best and brightest among them. It is also critical to our ability to recruit outstanding international students, who can choose to study at any of the world’s universities.

The University’s ability to achieve its goals of becoming Israel’s leading university in terms of research, teaching, and contribution to society and one of the world’s top research institutions, destined for significant global impact, relies on its ability to develop the University as a talent magnet. Academic programs contribute to BGU’s magnetism, attracting students to BGU and raising its international profile. The University’s ability to increase its research capacity and output relies on a large number of graduate students, as these students fuel research. By attracting graduate students to BGU, academic programs help increase our research capacity and thus, our global impact, with the new knowledge, solutions, and applications derived from the research performed. Academic programs also enhance research in another way – promoting advancement in the coming years is needed. Academic programs are an important component in this approach, advancing BGU in multiple ways. Enlisting Support for Academic Programs With a need for a wide range of new academic programs, the opportunity to support academic programs will appeal to donors with a wide variety of interests. The successful African Sustainable Communities MA Program demonstrates the significant impact a donor can have at BGU. The establishment of this program relied on donor support, without which the program couldn’t have been launched. And now, just a few years after its establishment, the program has developed an outstanding reputation among potential graduate students and the research community. Existing and new academic programs can be named with donor support. In addition, their operation for a period of years can be funded. Calls for research proposals can also be supported, promoting research on a specific topic related to the program. There is also a need for fellowships for students enrolled in the various academic programs offered at BGU – the availability of such fellowships boosts our ability to recruit students to a program, which is particularly helpful in the program’s first few years of operation. Academic programs can also be enhanced with donor support. For example, the African Sustainable interdisciplinary research in numerous areas. A comprehensive approach to ensuring BGU’s

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ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS