BGU | PRESIDENT'S REPORT 2024

following the October 7 attack, we collaborated with units across the University (Marketing, Human Resources, Dean of Students, Operations, and the Student Union) to support those adversely affected by the Hamas attack and the Iron Swords War: the elderly, families of reservists, people displaced from the Western Negev, and in particular, residents of neighborhoods in Ofakim, where pitched battles took place in the streets. The Department supported nineteen different student, alumni, and staff initiatives, such as mobile laundries for IDF soldiers, 3D printing of medical and military accessories, applications that provide emotional first aid, activities for displaced children, tutoring, BGU radio broadcasts, and much more. In addition, over 800 staff and faculty members volunteered in logistics centers, farms, and wherever else helping hands were needed. Once the academic year began, we resumed our regular activities, including the 14th year of the Access for All program, which expands knowledge of academic subjects among the general public. The program offers 12 classes in three different study tracks: medicine, psychology, and business administration, with lectures given by outstanding undergraduate students and academic faculty. This year, over 250 students from all over the Negev are participating in the program. In war as in peace, the importance of the responsibility and commitment of BGU to the Negev has become ever clearer. The Department expects to play a key role in the efforts to rebuild the Negev and increase the resilience of its varied communities.

Lillian and Larry Goodman Open Apartments Program Community Theater production, May 2023. Photo: Daphna Talmon

COMMUNITY ACTION DEPARTMENT The Community Action Department, established 50 years ago in 1974, is the primary vehicle for realizing David Ben-Gurion and the University's vision for developing the Negev through the advancement of its various populations. Under the leadership of Adv. Vered Saroussi Katz, the Department operates on several levels: reducing scholastic gaps and promoting access to education in general, and higher education in particular, and assistance to disadvantaged populations. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev views its students as potential leaders and believes they have the power to shape Israeli reality both now and in the future. Consequently, the Department runs a range of established and innovative new programs in which students donate their time and skills to the community in exchange for scholarships, including Bishvil Ha’Daat for adults with cognitive disabilities, and the Barvaz community theater. Other programs, such as the Keren Moshe Leadership Program, also offer leadership training. Last year we launched a new initiative called Shorsheinu (Our Roots), which exposes students to the diversity of Israeli society while supporting the elderly. The program, supported by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation Israel, funded 16 students from diverse backgrounds who visit elderly residents of Beer-Sheva and record their life stories. Although many of the Department’s programs were put on hold while the start of the academic school year was delayed, we were not idle. During the three months

Mobile laundry for IDF soldiers and reservists set up by staff member Sharon Toledano (center) and supported by the University

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President's Report 2024