Avigad Vonshak is BGU’s New Dean of International Academic Affairs
Avigad Vonshak is BGU’s New Dean of International Academic Affairs
September 21, 2010
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL September 22, 2010 — Professor Avigad Vonshak, director of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism and former director of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR), has been appointed dean of International Academic Affairs at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).
The Office of International Academic Affairs coordinates and consolidates the University’s various international programs and develops new initiatives, while exploring diverse avenues for international academic exchanges around the world. The position was created two years ago as part of BGU’s efforts to intensify its global impact.
The Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Program (OSP) for North American students — providing semester, summer or year-long study abroad opportunities at the University — falls under his purview. “The appointment of a dean of Avigad’s international standing is a key indicator of the University’s determination to become a more global university — a university determined to expand the number of courses and programs of study taught in English for both degree-granting and non-degree granting programs,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the American fund-raising arm for BGU and the organization that facilitates recruitment of students to the OSP.
A featured component of the University’s internationalization agenda will be the significant expansion of OSP through partnerships with a growing number of leading universities in the United States, providing American students with access to a greater variety of programs and research opportunities in sustainable development, ecology, anthropology, Middle East studies, Israel studies and more.
In his role as director of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, Prof. Vonshak’s primary goal is to launch the Institute’s new International Graduate School for Israel Studies. A graduate degree in this area has existed for Israeli students for a number of years, now the program will be expanded and taught in English to attract students from around the world. It is anticipated that graduates of this program will attain key political, diplomatic and academic positions related to Israel and the Middle East.
About Avigad Vonshak
Prof. Vonshak received his Ph.D. from BGU in 1980 and completed his postdoctoral training at Michigan State University. He was the dean of Ben-Gurion University’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research for the past eight years, a period of immense growth and international collaboration. He has been a faculty member of the Landau Family Microalgal Biotechnology Lab since its establishment in the mid 70s. The group is one of the leading world centers in algal biotechnology research.
Prof. Vonshak is known internationally in the scientific community for his approach to sustainable development of drylands through new innovative biotechnologies that increase water-use efficiency as compared to conventional agricultural methodologies. He served as president of the Asian Pacific Society for Applied Phycology, has been involved in many international training programs organized by UNEP, UNESCO and other international agencies, and has taken part in hundreds of international meetings, presenting keynote lectures related to the potential of algal biotechnology as a tool in sustainable development of drylands.
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
Stories Like This
