BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

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BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY OF THE NEGEV

381 STUDENTS RECEIVED DOCTORATES IN 2025, INCLUDING 142 MDS FROM THE GOLDMAN MEDICAL SCHOOL 239 PHDS FROM THE KREITMAN SCHOOL OF ADVANCED GRADUATE STUDIES

February 18, 2026 This morning, the results of the elections for my successor as Rector were announced. I will step down on July 31, 2026 and Prof. Yaniv Gelbstein will take office on August 1. While there are still five months to go before my term ends, it is a moment for reflection on the past NEW DEGREE PROGRAMS A new MBA program with specialization in artificial intelligence ( MBAI ), including NVIDIA-certified courses, was established by the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management and the University’s Institute (which offers executive courses in AI). A new interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program in Sustainability and Environmental Protection was launched at the Goldman Sonnenfeld School of Sustainability and Climate Change. A new academic conversion to nursing track enables academics from other fields to earn a nursing degree,

addressing healthcare workforce needs and offering a meaningful, impact-driven career path. New interdisciplinary master’s tracks in physiotherapy , also open to occupational therapy graduates, focus on advanced clinical and research skills, with specializations in rehabilitation and in orthotics & prosthetics (the latter funded by the Ministry of Health and conducted in collaboration with the Adi Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Center). A seven-month cyber and information security training program opened at the Eilat campus with 26 students.

seven and a half years. There have been many challenges (Coronavirus, military operations, the judicial overhaul, the October 7 massacre and the war in its aftermath), but the University has thrived, grown and improved in research and teaching, and in international rankings. None of this