BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2024

7 November 2023 I sent the following missive to the University faculty this morning: For some time, I have been debating whether to write, and if so, then what to write, since in these dark times, we are overwhelmed by so many things and feelings. I thought it appropriate to write today, exactly one month since that cursed day when our world changed completely and what was before will no longer be the same. Beyond the national trauma and the ongoing war, we, as a community, have also experienced loss, and there are also those from our community who today are refugees in their own country. Many of us have been called up for the war effort and others are volunteering NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS • The Department of Health Policy & Management is offering a new multidisciplinary undergraduate track that will train clinical research associates to manage and coordinate clinical trials. • As part of its five-year plan, BGU submitted to the Council for Higher Education a range of new programs that aim to better utilize areas of strength at the University, increase interdisciplinarity, and attract international students. They include BSc degree programs in science for hi-tech and sea-tech, as well as BSc/BA programs in sustainability and environmental conservation and human-technology interaction. An international English language BSc program in renewable natural resources will also be offered soon at the Sde Boker campus. The University is also planning to launch an MA program in European studies, in collaboration with the Open University, and offer a new multidisciplinary MSc/MA degree in Smart cities and infrastructure systems. The infrastructures systems track will be taught in English and is already attracting interest in collaborations and exchanges from abroad. All are expected to be approved shortly. • The Department of Bible Studies, Archeology and the Ancient Near East is offering a new undergraduate track in digital archaeology. Students in this track will receive training in the newest digital tools currently

A BGU marine biology student collects data on Eilat's reefs. Photo: Nadav Shashar

revolutionizing the field, such as GIS, remote sensing, and 3D documentation. • A new dual-degree program in marine biotechnology is preparing graduates for careers in oceanography, biogeology, marine biotechnology and more through applied coursework, and hands-on experience in marine labs, diving and more. Students will spend three years in Beer-Sheva and the new research station in Ashkelon, and a final year at the Eilat campus, and receive two degrees, in life sciences and earth and environmental sciences. in civilian settings. There are quite a few of us whose children or other family members are also enlisted, and the concern for their safety and their safe return home is at the forefront of our minds. Unfortunately, we know about the son of one of our faculty members who was injured in combat, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery. Our student community has also mobilized for the national effort, whether in combat or through various kinds of volunteering. There are concerns about the academic year and more than that, there is apprehension about returning to our heterogeneous campus, about meeting the other and being able to deal with things that may surface with greater intensity than before. All

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President's Report 2024