BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2022

PROF. SARAB ABU-RABIA QUEDER VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at BGU was created in 2021 and is headed by Prof. Sarab Abu-Rabia Queder. The Office is guided by the principle that four components are vital for the promotion of diversity and inclusion at BGU: Representation, inclusion, dialogue, and reducing discrimination and racism.

A steering committee for the Ethiopian community headed by Prof. Yifat Miller and guided by Prof. Abu Rabia-Queder was established. The committee decided to work on branding and marketing the support package BGU already offers students of Ethiopian origin. It is also preparing a proposal for an alternative admissions track based on Feuerstein’s LPAD dynamic assessment. For Bedouins from the south in STEM fields: BGU is expecting to enroll some 80 Bedouin high school graduates from Rahat in a year-long preparatory program with the goal of reducing the initial disadvantages with which such students usually enter academia. These students will also learn about the various fields of study offered at the University and meet with Jewish students to increase their interactions with the student body. To increase the representation of first-generation women doctoral students, we are working to prepare them for academic careers and increase their chances of obtaining academic appointments. We plan to offer a workshop (for course credit) that provides an academic toolkit. A program to reduce dropout rates among disadvantaged students from the social and geographical periphery was established. The program is presently recruiting departmental mentors who will receive specialized training to identify students who might benefit from mentorship.

Inclusion

Diversity

Dialogue

Representation

reducing discrimination and racism

REPRESENTATION The goal is to increase the number of enrolled students from underrepresented groups, especially in desirable tracks (and primarily students from Bedouin and Ethiopian origin communities).

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President's Report 2022