Dear Faculty,

1. We welcome the 50 new faculty members that join us this summer (enclosed and listed in Hebrew). We also mark the retirement of faculty members (also enclosed and listed in Hebrew). The emeriti will continue to be part of our community, in teaching, research and public service and we are grateful for all their contributions to our University.

2. Enclosed please find an updated version (in Hebrew) of the rules regarding the teaching load of faculty members. Please note that in the student surveys our students emphasized that we do not sufficiently challenge them, an aspect we should address in our teaching activities next year.

3. We have launched an extensive fund-raising campaign, aimed at raising $1 billion in the 2018-2025 period. As part of this campaign, we will hold a crowd-funding day, on July 24, 2018 (which marks the centennial of the laying of the University’s cornerstones). We hope that our alumni, friends and faculty members will express their support through this crowd-funding opportunity.

4. In the recent meeting of our Senate, three issues were resolved: First, decisions regarding appointments of new faculty members will now include, in all units, detailed written evaluations by referees (rather than recommendation letters). Second, all undergraduate students will now be required to study at least one course in the English language in their field of study. Finally, the Senate decided not to award academic credit for extra-curricular activities or reserve duty in the IDF.

 

I wish you all a pleasant summer.

Barak