American Associates Village at Sde Boker Dedicated
American Associates Village at Sde Boker Dedicated
June 9, 2014
Leadership, Awards & Events, Press Releases
BGU’s new American Associates Village at Sde Boker was dedicated at the University’s recent Board of Governor’s Meeting. The complex will expand available housing for as many as 150 additional international students, increasing by 50 percent the number of students currently studying at the Sde Boker campus and facilitating growth of two international graduate programs.
The new complex is already home to some 20 graduate students of the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, the academic arm of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, and the Israel Studies International Program. Once complete, this project will add 67 housing units in 14 buildings of varying configurations to the existing 110 units.
Until now, the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies (AKIS) was forced to reject hundreds of highly qualified, motivated candidates due to the housing shortage. While the classroom, laboratory and teaching capacity were available, there were not enough beds to accommodate more students.
“We decided we needed to tackle this issue and the result is the American Associates Village at Sde Boker,” said Alex Goren, BGU’s board chair and Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s past president.
The renowned Israeli architectural firm, Linenberg-Rozen, designed the housing complex based on two underlying principles adapting to Sde Boker’s specific desert climate conditions. Six drainage basin gardens will be irrigated from the run-off of the village, while the specially designed windows make use of passive heating and cooling to regulate building temperature.
“By creating semi-private internal courtyards, we hope to encourage an atmosphere that fosters communal life,” said architect Ron Rozen.
The American Associates Village was completely funded as part of a $13 million fundraising project by American Associates, Ben Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University) donors.
Along with Alex Goren, Carol Saal, a former Americans for Ben-Gurion University president and current vice chair on BGU’s board of governors, envisioned the idea of top-notch housing facilities for students and their families.
“I thank Steve Breslauer from Houston for being the first to make a lead gift to the project, naming a building on behalf of the Soref Foundation. I also want to thank Americans for Ben-Gurion University board member and BGU chairman emeritus, Robert Arnow, a most generous supporter and inspiration, as well as some 500 donors who have made contributions to this endeavor thus far,” remarked Saal at the dedication.
“When initial plans for this project were presented, a member of the BGU faculty referred to the Village as ‘research infrastructure,’ as the envisioned expansion of the number of graduate students would have a dramatic impact on the research output coming from Sde Boker,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of Americans for Ben-Gurion University.
“We’re very proud to play a part in that.”
View the brief video of the American Associates Village dedication
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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