BGU PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2021

BGU PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2021

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

The BGU family rallied over the past 12 months to ensure that, despite the challenges, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev would continue in its mission so essential for the future of Israel. I am optimistic that the worst is now behind us, and we can look to the future and redouble our efforts to take our remarkable University to new heights. But before delving into our vision for the future, which is the theme of this Report and of this year’s Board of Governors Meeting, I would like to briefly reflect on our Corona year, to remind ourselves why we should all be proud. Confronted with the encroaching pandemic, I asked myself how would David Ben-Gurion, a master in crisis management, react? What did Ben-Gurion do when he encountered obstacles on his journey? He set up task forces, many of which are with us to this day. And that is what we did too. We established task forces in research, in teaching and in community response, to confront one of the greatest crises that the State of Israel has known. While our campuses remained quiet without the daily bustle of thousands of students or the numerous public gatherings so exemplative of the BGU experience, we remained as active as ever, not only in our homes, but also in offices and in labs. The Coronavirus Research Taskforce I established early on succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. Interdisciplinary research initiatives from across our campuses made crucial contributions to the global struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the constant uncertainty, we strived to act in alignment with the deeply held values that define the BGU spirit. This integrity was evident in our decision to spare no efforts to ensure the seamless transition to online learning. And despite their own difficulties,