BGU Students Selected to Attend Second Annual Clinton Global Initiative’s University
BGU Students Selected to Attend Second Annual Clinton Global Initiative’s University
February 11, 2009
Negev Development & Community Programs, Press Releases
AUSTIN, TX — February 15, 2009 — Three out of five of the Israeli students selected to attend the prestigious Clinton Global Initiative’s University, a project of the non-partisan William J. Clinton Foundation, were from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). The conference was held February 13-15 at the University of Texas in Austin.
Representing Ben-Gurion University (BGU) at the Second Annual CGI U were Ohad Ish Shalom, Ben Reuveni and Elad Morad, who joined nearly 1,000 students from around the world for the three-day conference to address issues and solutions to global challenges in the areas of education, energy, climate change, global health, human rights and peace, and poverty.
To be accepted, each student had to submit a Commitment to Action: a comprehensive, formal plan of action to address a specific problem on their campus, in their community, or in different parts of the world on a particular focus area.
“CGI U is based on the great success of our Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) through which members have made nearly 1,200 commitments valued upwards of $46 billion,” former President Clinton explains. “CGI commitments have already impacted 200 million lives in 150 countries, and commitments made at this year’s Annual Meeting will impact 160 million. The burden of solving many of our world’s greatest problems will fall to the next generation, and the innovation and dedication of young people today shows they are up for the challenge.”
The BGU students submitted the following Commitments to Action:
Ohad Ish Shalom
Focus Area: Peace
Commitment: Ish Shalom (whose name means “man of peace”) will create a sports peace project for Jewish and Arab children living together in Jerusalem to overcome language, political and religious barriers. He believes sports and teamwork will creatively encourage solidarity, mutual understanding, respect, and interaction between the youths.
Elad Morad
Focus Area: Peace
Commitment: Morad will establish the Mid Point Project, consisting of a social networking Web site and international peace festival in Jerusalem. It will serve as a meeting platform for Palestinians and Israelis, and will promote sharing of ideas to improve the Middle East situation.
Ben Reuveni
Focus Area: Poverty
Commitment: Reuveni will focus on alleviating poverty in Israel to minimize the economic gap between social groups helping poor immigrant families with western monetary responsibility.
“BGU is widely recognized for its commitment to social causes and cross cooperation with other countries,” explains Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. “We’re proud to have three representatives selected to attend this prestigious event, and we wish them well in fulfilling their commitment programs.”
About CGI U
Building off the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Clinton launched CGI U in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. In March 2008, CGI U held its inaugural meeting at Tulane University in New Orleans, bringing together hundreds of students and university officials from nearly every state and 15 countries to address issues including education, energy and climate change, global health, peace and human rights, and poverty alleviation. Learn more at www.cgiu.org.
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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