Ben-Gurion University awards seven honorary doctorates
Longtime supporter Daniel Jusidman receives President’s Award
BGU awarded seven honorary doctorates and presented philanthropist Daniel Jusidman with the President’s Award at its annual gathering.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev honored seven luminaries with honorary doctorates on Tuesday evening during its 56th annual Global Community & Board of Governors Gathering.
They included BGU alum and AI pioneer Prof. Regina Barzilay, philanthropist and former A4BGU board chair Gary DeBode, engineer Prof. Hagit Messer-Yaron, intellectual historian Prof. David Nirenberg, Maestro Constantine Orbelian, astronaut and entrepreneur Eytan Stibbe and philosopher Prof. Tamar Szabó Gendler.
Philanthropist Daniel Jusidman received the President's Award.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, "In 1951 David Ben-Gurion wrote a state is not truly alive "as long as it does not dwell in the heart of the people, in its soul, in its consciousness." What it needs, he said, is "a sense of state responsibility in every one of the people." And he defined the heart of it as learning "to prefer the affairs of the whole over the affairs of the faction."
“I believe this Ben-Gurion state of mind has not only defined our actions as a university. It has allowed us to achieve great things in the most difficult of times.
“On October 7, we did not wait for instructions from above. We closed the university well before the state told us to, and by nightfall our Eilat dorms were housing families evacuated from the Gaza border. In the days that followed, thousands of people at BGU took on problems nobody had assigned them. What was happening around them was theirs to own.
“That instinct is why this university did not only hold. It thrived. Through the war, and through missiles on our own campus, our research grew, our students came back, and we kept building. I think every one of us in this hall can be proud of that.
“Similarly, each of our laureates, each in her or his own way, embodies responsibility. None of them waited for permission, or for conditions to be perfect. Each saw something that needed doing and decided that it was theirs to do.”
In alphabetical order:
Prof. Regina Barzilay is a School of Engineering Distinguished Professor of AI & Health in the Department of Computer Science and the AI Faculty Lead at MIT Jameel Clinic. She develops machine learning methods for drug discovery and clinical AI. Her research has been recognized with the MacArthur Fellowship, an NSF Career Award, and the AAAI Squirrel AI Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity. Regina is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine.
From the scroll: In recognition of an outstanding researcher, whose trailblazing research in artificial intelligence has opened new horizons in the application of natural language processing and machine learning, illuminating innovative pathways to its integration with science and medicine; with gratitude to an internationally renowned computer scientist, who has played a transformative role in the development and application of deep-learning systems to biomedicine, enabling early life-saving cancer detection and drug discovery.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Gary DeBode is past board chair of Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) and a member of BGU’s Board of Governors. As an entrepreneur, DeBode has more than 35 years of experience in the real estate business. He founded Gallium Real Estate in 2015 to co-invest in and develop multi-family residential and self-storage projects. He started his career in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a naval nuclear submarine officer.
From the scroll: With admiration for a magnanimous philanthropist of wide-ranging interests, talents, and accomplishments, whose generosity has advanced worthy causes around the world; and with profound esteem for a visionary leader whose remarkable achievements and extraordinary generosity reflect sincere compassion and an unwavering commitment to advancing opportunities, encouraging innovation, and fostering mutual understanding among all people.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Prof. Hagit Messer-Yaron is a Tel Aviv University professor emerita of electrical engineering. She is also a former Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Science, Vice President for Research at TAU, the President of the Open University, and the Vice Chair of the Council for Higher Education, Israel. Her research focuses on statistical signal processing for environmental monitoring.
From the scroll: In acknowledgement of an exceptional, visionary scientist, whose groundbreaking research and illustrious academic career have left an indelible mark on Israeli higher education; with appreciation for a brilliant engineer, whose pioneering work on signal processing laid critical foundations for advances in communications systems, including innovative methods for harnessing them towards environmental monitoring, leading to wide acclaim, new directions in research, and global collaborations; and with deep esteem for a champion of women in science and technology, and of ethical research.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Prof. David Nirenberg is the author of numerous books on the history of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian relations, including Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition. Nirenberg currently serves as the Director and Leon Levy Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. His research provides insight into questions of racism, Anti-Semitism, and Christian-Muslim relations.
From the scroll: In homage to a preeminent intellectual historian and a leading authority on medieval interreligious relations, whose groundbreaking studies have left an indelible mark on the humanities as a whole and on our understanding of Western and Christian thought; in acknowledgement of a venerated member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, whose research into the treatment of minorities across time has shed new light on the role of discrimination, and antisemitism in particular, in contemporary society, religion, and culture; and for his longstanding commitment to scholarly engagement with Israeli academia; and with sincere admiration for his unwavering efforts to promote scholarly dialogue, tolerance, and cooperation across disciplines, cultures, and traditions, in Israel and worldwide.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Maestro Constantine Orbelian is a four-time GRAMMY®-nominated conductor. For the past five years, he has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York City Opera. He was the first American to be appointed a music director of a Russian institution – The Moscow Chamber Orchestra. As a result, he has been recognized for his tireless championing of US-Russian cultural exchange. He is also the music director of The Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva.
From the scroll: In homage to an internationally celebrated conductor, pianist, and composer whose extraordinary artistry and cultural service have enriched the worlds of classical music and opera, and who, through the power of music, has touched the hearts of audiences around the world, inspiring and uplifting them; in acknowledgement of the son of immigrants, recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, who, over the course of an illustrious career, has conducted leading orchestras on the world’s most prestigious stages, from the New York City Opera to the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Israel Sinfonietta.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Eytan Stibbe, impact investor, philanthropist and pilot, was the second Israeli astronaut to ever go to space. As a crew member of the Ax-1 mission, in April 2022, Eytan spent 17 days on the International Space Station. Together with the Ramon Foundation and the Israeli Space Agency, a work plan was assembled and called the RAKIA mission. It included experiments in medicine, earth observation, and production in space as well as educational programs and art.
He is a longtime supporter of the Tamar Golan Africa Centre at BGU.
From the scroll: In appreciation of an inspiring public figure and accomplished entrepreneur, whose extraordinary career is marked by public engagement, social responsibility, and a steadfast aspiration to ever greater achievement; with admiration for a celebrated aviator and astronaut, a decorated fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, who later journeyed beyond the Earth’s atmosphere as a mission specialist on the Ax-1 mission to the International Space Station; with the utmost respect for a skilled businessman and investor who has advised and helped develop crucial infrastructure for food production, housing, and employment in developing nations, and whose groundbreaking initiatives and dedication to the public good have made him a role model for ambition, pioneering endeavor, and service to the nation.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Prof. Tamar Szabó Gendler is the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale University, and the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy. In 2010, she was appointed Chair of the Yale philosophy department, becoming the first woman chair in the department’s two-century history. In 2013, she was appointed Deputy Provost for Humanities and Initiatives before becoming dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
From the scroll: In recognition of an eminent philosopher and distinguished researcher, whose groundbreaking, creative, and profound explorations across philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science have expanded the boundaries of human knowledge and enriched the world of arts and science; with deep appreciation for the author of seminal works and canonical texts in the philosophy of psychology, which combine analytic rigor with humanistic imagination, deepen our understanding of how we use imagination, and shed new light on human judgment and cognition.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
Philanthropist Daniel Jusidman received the President’s Award
From the scroll: In honor of your visionary philanthropy and lifelong passion for the State of Israel and the future of the Jewish people; with admiration for your magnanimous commitment to developing medical centers and advancing science education, leaving a profound mark on Israeli society; with deep appreciation for your firm belief in equal opportunity across all walks of society, your dedication to strengthening Israel’s periphery, and your efforts to foster Bedouin leadership in the Negev, helping build a better future for all the region’s residents; in recognition of your exceptional generosity and foresight in empowering future generations through the Jusidman Science Center for Youth at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, reaching tens of thousands of children from communities throughout the South; and with heartfelt gratitude for your inspiring commitment to a life of giving, your deep-rooted Zionism, your partnership in the University’s mission, and your extensive efforts to secure a thriving future for the State of Israel.
Link to video screened at the ceremony
