BGU PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2021

BGU PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2021

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BGU’S CORONAVIRUS YEAR EMERGING STRONGER

sessions, the Career Center and various support and guidance programs, such as The Sylvia A . Brodsky Walk-in Service . First-year students were matched with mentors who helped them adjust to academic life throughout the first semester. The Student Union helped students adjust to the restrictions on social and cultural life, through livestreamed parties, workshops and concerts, online mental health support, career building workshops, outreach and more. The Office of International Academic Affairs also worked hard to support international students and scholars during the pandemic, provide current information, and resolve travel and visa issues. Despite lockdowns, restrictions and closures, over 200 international students and researchers arrived at BGU between June and December 2020. Most international students chose to remain in Israel as the pandemic persisted. BGU International student Olatunji Samuel Adeolu , from Nigeria, married his bride Temi via Zoom in November 2020. Congratulations!!

STUDENTS The coronavirus pandemic posed a range of challenges for our students: technological, economic, social, and more. The social disconnect and isolation created by coronavirus regulations posed a particular challenge for first-year students, who began studying in October without the opportunity to meet and interact with their peers. A special hackathon, BGU Connect , led to the development of several new digital platforms for socializing.

 BGU International student Olatunji Samuel Adeolu, from Nigeria, married his bride Temi in a transnational Zoom wedding at the height of the pandemic. Photo: Reflect Image Studio, Emeka Abakasanga.

Dean of Students Office services moved online – including workshops, study