7 Shlomo Zohar Chairman, Permanent Committee Dear Friends, It is my pleasure to be able towelcome you all back to campus after almost three years. And yet, despite the long separation, our community has grown even closer than before: The concern we showed toward one other, and the support we gave to Bar-Ilan, proved the strength of our friendship and clarified our sense of shared goals. At this difficult moment for Israel on both matters of security and internal disputes, our Board of Trustees has shown that a strong foundation can weather even the most difficult of challenges. We will need to call upon that foundation as we enter our state’s next three quarters’ century. Indeed, it is precisely the emphasis on developing the proper foundations that lies behind Bar-Ilan’s advancements in the last few years in so many important areas. The decision to invest in the skills and leadership development of the University’s management tier, for example, means that all departments and administrative units are functioning more efficiently and feel more committed to the larger purpose of their work. Likewise, the investment in an advanced digital infrastructure for BarIlan has resulted in better managerial and information systems, better student services, better communication with potential applicants, and more engaging, effective instruction on the part of faculty. It will also soon ensure that our researchers’ publications are more widely available and properly credited, too. In turn, this improvement will result inmore support from Israel’s Council for Higher Education, which awards funding as a percentage of research output. This support will fuel more original scholarship, technological innovation, and scientific discovery, and will attract more top students and faculty. The dedication of our newAlexander Grass Computer Science Building, which we will be able to celebrate together during our board meeting, is just one of a number of capital projects that are improving our research infrastructure and facilitating needed growth. The soon-to-be-started teaching building at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, along with the now-occupied new student village, will also enable the University to accept and educatemore students, not just from the country’s center, but from everywhere in Israel and abroad. Last, our great work bringing the Bar-Ilan story to all parts of Israeli society has raised awareness of our impact and increased our appeal among new audiences. Today we are home to students from every community in Israel, and all its nationalities, religions, ideologies, levels of observance, and ways of life. This diversity, perhaps more than any other factor, will ensure that we are a key to the state’s prosperity and the cohesion of Israeli society. All these accomplishments, the result of our firm adherence to our strategic plan, have created a solid foundation on which to build more and from which we will attain even greater accomplishments in the years to come. It is a privilege to be able to share these accomplishments with you, and to start to concentrate onwhat can be Israel’smost successful 75 years yet.
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