Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב
Motto	"Israel's capacity for science and research will be tested in the Negev..." David Ben-Gurion
Established	1969
Type	Public
President	Prof. Rivka Carmi
Rector	Prof. Zvi Hacohen
Academic staff	1,640
Students	18,374
Undergraduates	12,917
Postgraduates	4,160
Location	Beersheba, Israel
Campus	Urban
Website	www.bgu.ac.il

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת בן-גוריון בנגב‎, Universitat Ben Gurion Banegev)  (BGU) is a university in Beersheba, Israel, established in 1969. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a current enrollment of 17,400 students, and is one of Israel's fastest growing universities.

Development of the Negev

One of the university's goals is to promote development of the Negev region, inspired by the vision of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, who believed that the country's future lay in the relatively undeveloped south. Originally named University of the Negev, the name was changed to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev after Ben-Gurion's death in November 1973.

Campuses

Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology

Campus

Zalman Aran library

The Zuker-Goldstein-Goran Building

Campus of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research

Other campuses include Midreshet Ben-Gurion, near kibbutz Sde Boker where Ben-Gurion spent his retirement years, and a campus in Eilat. The Eilat branch has 1,100 students, about 75 percent from outside the city. In 2010, a new student dormitory was funded and built by the Jewish Federation of Toronto, the Rashi Foundation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the municipality of Eilat.^[1] The Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research in Sde Boker awards masters degrees and PhDs in desert-related subjects.

Academic specialities

Ben-Gurion University is a world leader in arid zone research and offers its expertise to many developing countries. In keeping with its mandate, it plays a key role in promoting industry, agriculture and education in the Negev.^[2] More recently, Ben-Gurion University has become a leader in international business with the success of the English-language Honors MBA (HMBA) program. ^[3]

Ben Gurion Archive

Ben Gurion University houses the archives of David Ben-Gurion, comprising some 750,000 documents that reflect the ideology, political activities, and spiritual testament of Ben-Gurion and constitute an invaluable record of the creation of the State of Israel.^[4]

Aranne University Library

Special collections at the library include the Tuviyahu Archives of the Negev, the Amos Oz archive and the Aharon Appelfeld archive.^[5]

Medical School for International Health

The Medical School for International Health (MSIH) is an English-language collaboration between Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Faculty of Health Sciences and Columbia University Medical Center located in Beersheba, Israel.^[6] Its stated aims are to graduate doctors with special skills in primary care and community, preventive, and population-based medicine. Established in 1996, the school enrolls more than 40 students per year.^[7] Most of the students are from the United States, with several from Canada and other countries. The director is Mark Clarfield. A joint global health and medical care program was established in 1997.^[8]

International student programs

Most of the courses are taught in Hebrew, but the university runs several English-language programs that attract students from around the world:

• Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies (MAPMES).
• The Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Sde Boker campus offers graduate programs in Desert Studies.
• In collaboration with Columbia University, a unique program in International Health is offered by the Medical Faculty.
• The School of Management offers a full-time Honors MBA Program.
• The Department of Foreign Literature and Linguistics offers BA and MA programs taught in English.
• The Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program offers short-, mid- and long-term academic programs and Hebrew language studies.
• In addition, many departments accept exchange, internship and trainee students.

Notable faculty members

Rivka Carmi

Etgar Keret

• Aaron Antonovsky, sociologist
• Aharon Appelfeld, author
• Avishay Braverman, former president of the university, economist and politician
• Gerald Blidstein, Jewish Thought and History – Israel Prize Recipient
• Avishay Braverman (born 1948), former president of the university, economist, and politician
• Rivka Carmi, pediatrician
• Shlomi Dolev, computer scientist
• David Faiman, solar engineer
• Tikva Frymer-Kensky, biblical scholar
• Neve Gordon, political scientist
• Samuel Hollander, economist
• Etgar Keret, author
• Benny Morris, historian
• David Newman, political geographer
• Amos Oz, author
• Renee Poznanski, political scientist and historian of the Holocaust in France
• Elisha Qimron, Hebrew scholar
• Aviad Raz, sociologist
• Danny Rubinstein, journalist
• Joshua Prawer, historian
• Richard Shusterman, philosopher
• Carsten Peter Thiede, biblical scholar
• Jacob Turkel, Israeli Supreme Court Justice
• Oren Yiftachel, geographer

Notable alumni

Gila Gamliel

• Isaac Berzin (born 1967), chemical engineer who founded GreenFuel Technologies Corporation
• Charles Blattberg, professor of political philosophy at the Université de Montréal
• Amira Dotan
• Gila Gamliel (born 1974), member of the Knesset for Likud and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office
• Anastasia Gloushkov (born 1985), Olympic synchronized swimmer
• Arieh Iserles (born 1947), computational mathematician, Professor of the Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations at the University of Cambridge
• Ofer Lahav (born 1959), Perren Chair of Astronomy and Head of Astrophysics at University College London
• Gonen Segev
• Silvan Shalom
• Eliezer Shkedi
• Yaakov Turner
• Mordechai Vanunu
• Shelly Yachimovich
• Agi Mishol
• Isaac Berzin

Notable awards

Professor Gerald Blidstein of the Department of Jewish Thought and Philosophy is the only faculty member of Ben-Gurion University to have received the prestigious Israel Prize.

See also

• List of universities in Israel

References

1. ^ "New Student Dormitories Dedicated in Eilat Campus". Cmsprod.bgu.ac.il. January 27, 2009. http://cmsprod.bgu.ac.il/Eng/home/News/New+Student+Dormitories.htm. Retrieved September 29, 2011. 
2. ^ Top Universities
3. ^ Home. "HMBA". Bgu-hmba.com. http://www.bgu-hmba.com/. Retrieved September 29, 2011. 
4. ^ "Ben-Gurion University of the Negev". Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0003_0_02467.html. Retrieved September 29, 2011. 
5. ^ "Aranne Library special collections". Bgu.ac.il. http://www.bgu.ac.il/aranne/docs/hmpg4.html. Retrieved September 29, 2011. 
6. ^ "Medical Students Pursue their Dream in Beersheva", Leora Eren Frucht, Israel 21c, August 13, 2006
7. ^ Home page, Medical School for International Health, accessed February 20, 2008
8. ^ "Global medicine – an Israeli speciality", JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH , The Jerusalem Post, August 8, 2004

External links

• Ben-Gurion University of the Negev website
• American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
• Sabbatical Home offered in Lehavim/Beer Sheva

Coordinates: 31°15′43.89″N 34°48′5.44″E / 31.2621917°N 34.8015111°E / 31.2621917; 34.8015111