BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

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PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

SUPPORT FOR STUDENT RESERVISTS

The University provides comprehensive support for students serving in reserve duty. In addition to grants, tutoring, and academic assistance, the Dean of Students Office and its Reservists Office initiated a range of targeted programs for returning student reservists and for the faculty members supporting them. These initiatives included orientation and reintegration programs for students returning from reserve duty, with a focus on first-year students; specially adapted examination classrooms for students coping with PTSD; and outreach by coordinators to improve access to information and assistance. The Dean of Students Office also continues to operate a resilience center for the student community, established in the wake of October 7. The center provides psychological support, assistance with urgent needs such as housing solutions for affected students, and online support meetings. 5,899 STUDENTS IN RESERVE DUTY 463 TUTORING SESSIONS FOR RESERVISTS (with 4,831 participants) 3,595 STUDENTS IN RESERVE DUTY 172 TUTORING SESSIONS FOR RESERVISTS (with 1,874 participants) 2025–26 FIRST SEMESTER 2024-25 ACADEMIC YEAR

Open Day at the Marcus Family Campus. Feb. 2026

main entrance to the new North Campus, and the André Deloro Medical Research Institute, a joint BGU-Soroka translational research building on the Soroka University Medical Center campus. Construction on two additional major buildings on the North Campus is well underway, and work on a third – the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Future Technologies Building – began earlier this year. Several teaching and research labs, as well as the medical library, on the Soroka University Medical Center campus were damaged or closed temporarily in the wake of the June 2025 Iranian missile attacks. The Zalman Aranne Central Library Building and many other buildings on the Marcus Family Campus and at the Sylvan Adams Sports Center sustained damage as well. Repairs are still ongoing. The University remains committed to green energy and reduced environmental impact. Major initiatives include connecting the Marcus Campus to natural gas to replace heavy fuel oil, installing Phase B photovoltaic systems, and evaluating hydrogen fuel cells and energy storage solutions.

Construction on the North Campus. April 2026