In the wake of the devastation of October 7, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is expanding its critical role in the regeneration of the Negev.
“Ben-Gurion University has a lot to offer the Negev in its time of need,” says BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, “As a fifth wave university, we’re not waiting around for anyone to come to us. We have been visiting all the communities in the Negev, assessing their current and future needs, and figuring out how BGU’s faculty, students and innovation ecosystem can help them flourish. Fifth wave universities see themselves with an additional mandate beyond research and teaching: we are committed to developing the region where we are based. We are focused on both its economic capital and its human capital.”
To that end, BGU will double its campus in Beer-Sheva and create new faculties and schools to meet real and anticipated growing demand for its educational opportunities.
As the beating heart of a new innovation district in Beer-Sheva, the University is already addressing a growing need for doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Building on its proven paradigm-shifting medical education, Ben-Gurion University continues to set the standard for training of healthcare professionals. Medical students, paramedics, doctors, nurses, and IDF soldiers about to be deployed to the front lines, can simulate real situations and train on lifelike high-tech dummies at the state-of-the-art Field Family Medical Simulation Center.
The Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School celebrated its 50th anniversary this week. And to help address the national shortage of physicians, the Sagol Medical School for International Health will be announced at the upcoming 55th annual Board of Governors meeting to be held this week. The Sagol School is a four-year medical school program taught in English open to Israelis, especially new immigrants. Sami Sagol’s generous donation will enable a revamping of the curriculum aimed at smaller classes and innovative educational technologies.
The University will also announce the Young Family School for the Human Experience at the upcoming Board. It will establish a unique program supporting humanistic education for students in the natural sciences, engineering, health sciences and management throughout Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The program, explains School head Prof. Amit Schejter, will offer courses, support excellence in humanistic education, and encourage research into the interaction between humanism and contemporary challenges.
“The Young Family School is a bold attempt at asking the question – what does it take to be human – and respond to it using the tools of the University – teaching, research and service to the community. More and more, we all understand that scientific knowledge is not sufficient without exposing students to humanistic values, which are articulated through the study of the humanities,” says Prof. Schejter.
VP for Resource Development and Public Affairs Jeff Kaye was gratified that despite the challenging circumstances in Israel; board members were arriving for the meeting this week.
“During these difficult times, our friends and partners recognize the importance of our mission and rise to the challenge. It gives us such hope and comfort to see you here with us,” he said.
The cornerstone for the Cyndi and Max Mintzberg Cultural and Conference Center, which will be the biggest in the Negev, will be laid at the upcoming Board meeting. The center will put the Negev on the map of national and international conferences, a key addition given the growing number of research centers at BGU.
In anticipation of an influx of elite soldiers as the IDF technology and intelligence branches move to the Negev, the University Senate recently approved a new Faculty of Computer Science, and two state-of-the-art buildings are under construction on its North Campus to meet the expected student body growth.
Keenly cognizant of the Negev’s need after October 7, the University has looked beyond the boundaries of campus to launch an ambitious initiative.
Led by Prof. Miki Malul, former Dean of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management, this initiative seeks to harness the University’s resources and pioneering spirit, alongside its extensive existing partnerships, to advance the region economically, socially, and culturally. A recent survey of perceptions of the Negev’s key institutions placed Ben-Gurion University highest both in terms of its impact and in terms of the pride it instills in Negev residents.
“We are gratified that our contribution to the Negev is recognized, but this also brings home the importance of the task ahead. We have an historic responsibility to leverage our increasing excellence in research towards rebuilding the Negev better than before,” says President Prof. Chamovitz.
The effort will be collaborative from beginning to end and extend far beyond the campus gates. At the heart of the initiative is the establishment of a social innovation incubator at the University, where academic knowledge can be linked to on-the-ground practice by bringing together researchers, students, and local practitioners for mutual learning and collaboration. The incubator will serve as a hub where real-world challenges from across the Negev are brought in, and interdisciplinary teams of students and researchers collaborate with stakeholders to develop innovative, actionable solutions to these challenges.
BGU has partnered with MIT to create the Negev Urban Research (Nur) Lab, which joins MIT’s global network of urban planning applied research centers, and smart cities will be explored there in collaboration with the Negev’s municipal engineers; education with heads of local education departments; and tourism and wellness with regional stakeholders in those fields. Each department at the University will contribute its unique expertise.
The goal is to strengthen the capabilities of local professionals while embedding the University in the region’s development process. This multi-dimensional approach will not only generate innovative ideas but will help drive sustainable, inclusive growth across the Negev.
The Western Negev, for example, is a vital source of food production for Israel and faces both immediate recovery needs and long-term sustainability challenges. BGU is planning to establish a research center focused on agriculture and water management in the town of Sderot.
Prof. Malul explains, “Right now, the challenge is to rehabilitate agriculture in the surrounding region. We have the capabilities – we have outstanding researchers in agriculture and water with the knowledge to contribute meaningfully. The research center will enable us to both advance our own research and significantly upgrade agriculture in the region. We can help not just its recovery but advance it far beyond where it was before.
“We are now at the outset of what will be a long journey,” says Malul, “but the overarching idea is leverage. How we as a university can leverage the Negev’s strengths and enable it to realize its potential.”