I recently returned from participating in Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s (A4BGU) excellent annual meeting entitled Leading the Way Forward.

Spending time with colleagues is always valuable. Learning from leading minds and outstanding leaders is invaluable. Here are a few brief, key take-aways.

1. As war continues to wage in Israel, one would expect a higher drop-out rate and/or a lower enrolment for the 2024/25 academic year. Yet the opposite is happening, with a 20% increase in student registration, the highest of any Israeli university.
2. There are constant reminders that things are far from normal. Rector Chaim Hames shared that at the recent doctoral graduation ceremony for those earning their PHDs, three students were tragically absent from what should have been the most joyous and proud of moments. One student was murdered on October 7^th, one fell in battle, and one died from cancer. There are no words.
3. Numerous presenters alluded to what it means that BGU is a Fifth Wave university. Fifth Wave universities are responsive to student needs, focused on access, fully embedded in their regions, and committed to solving global problems. They aspire to accelerate positive social outcomes through the seamless integration of world-class knowledge production with cutting-edge technological innovation. As a Fifth Wave university, BGU is embracing its historic mandate to develop the Negev and rebuild from the devastation of October 7^th.
4. BGU President Professor Daniel Chamovitz further expounded on his profound statement that "Israelis are both strong and broken". He pointed out that acknowledging our frailties, is the opposite of weakness. This is what he and other BGU leaders do every single day.
5. Through BGU faculty talks, we learned that despite the war and heartache, groundbreaking and diverse research continues to thrive. Everything from the Talmud to 3D printing in medicine to climate solutions was discussed by three brilliant female faculty members.

To learn more about this groundbreaking research, let’s make this message more interactive. Do you know what a shmarpula is? If you do not and want to, please send me an email [email protected] and I will tell you how the shmarpula saves lives.

As David Ben-Gurion said, "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer."  This is the essence of BGU. Every single day.