BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

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PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2026

COMMUNITY ACTION DEPARTMENT

The Community Action Department is dedicated to working with marginalized populations who are less engaged with academia and higher education. This year, about 750 adults and youth participated in a range of Department programs run by BGU students and academic staff members. The Bishvil HaDa’at program, making the University accessible to adults with intellectual disabilities, marked its 12th year with a record number of over 70 participants in six courses. Cohort 13 of the Windows onto Campus Dreams program for prison inmates had 11 participants. About 150 prisoners have completed the program to date. The Department launched several new programs this year: Pa’amei Academia is designed to encourage at-risk youth and young adults, including released prisoners, to consider an academic path. Engines Forward , launched in partnership with the Shashua Family Foundation, aims to expose youth from the southern region to engineering and technology through participation in a race-car team. Hand in Hand to Academia is an initiative of the BGU Department of Physics in memory of doctoral student Gideon Ilani and Prof. Sergey Gredeskul. The initiative encourages excellence in advanced level physics among high school students from the Western Negev. One of the Department's central goals is developing social leadership skills and responsibility among the University’s

students; those who will hold key positions in Israeli society in the near future. This past year, approximately 400 students engaged in significant social leadership activities; an increase of about 30% compared to previous years. BGU’s flagship program in this area, the Keren Moshe Leadership Program , supported by the Halpérin family of Switzerland, marked its 30th year. Kesher Ayin (Visions and Voices) was launched with the support of the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations. The program combines social action and photography to promote social awareness, critical thinking, and activism, enabling diverse communities to express their voices. Finally, as part of a new program in partnership with the Shabbat Metuka nonprofit, BGU staff visit and distribute challah packages weekly to about 30 elderly Beer-Sheva residents.

Adv. Vered Sarousi-Katz speaks at the launch of the Kesher Ayin program at the Rothschild Cube. Feb. 2026 Windows onto Campus Dreams graduation ceremony