BGU PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2021

OUR NEXT FIFTY

5

on the Marcus Family Campus, we established a supra-disciplinary School of Sustainability and Climate Change, which we expect to become a Mecca for scientists and students from Israel and around the world. And we established a Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching, which was crucial in guiding us through the transition to online learning. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., “The ultimate measure of [Ben-Gurion University] is not where it stands in moments of comfort, but where [the University] stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Undoubtedly, we have met the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, and today the light of Ben-Gurion University shines brighter than ever. In the pages of this Report, you will find further details of what we have accomplished so far, and of what we plan for the most important university for the future of Israel. I hope this will inspire you and make you proud. You are, after all, our partners in this historic endeavor.

our students, staff and faculty reached out to our neighbors in their time of hardship, exemplifying the BGU spirit and the meaning of community. You, our loyal friends and supporters, came through in support of our Save the Class of COVID-19 campaign, raising needed funds for scholarships and aid, ensuring that no student was left behind. I ammoved and incredibly grateful for your generosity. Thanks to you, we have come through the pandemic intact, with the largest numbers of enrolled students ever! At last year’s virtual Board of Governors Meeting, I presented a strategic plan for the University, with its recommendations ultimately aimed at positioning BGU as the leading university in Israel. Presenting and committing to implement the strategic plan involves a certain amount of risk. Indeed, change can be perceived as a threat by some, and by publishing these plans, we are allowing ourselves to be held accountable. But this risk is inevitable and essential if we are to lead Ben-Gurion University to new achievements and standing. Over the past year, despite the pandemic, we spared no effort in moving forward with implementation of the plan. Working groups have endeavored diligently to develop detailed plans for realizing various aspects of our strategy, and millions of dollars have already been invested to improve the overall research capacities of the University. One working group of particular interest is comprised of over 70 faculty members and administrative staff striving to make BGU a lean and efficient institution of higher learning by streamlining bureaucratic processes. On the academic side, building on existing strengths at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research on the Sde Boker Campus and numerous departments

Prof. Daniel Chamovitz