Case For Giving

From the Desert for the World

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is unique in location, in mission, in student and faculty body, and in attitude. It is the only university established by government mandate.

Founded in 1969 as an outcome of David Ben-Gurion's vision to build an academic powerhouse in the desert that would develop the Negev, secure Israel's future and become a model for the world, BGU is the youngest and most dynamic university in Israel.

It is where the pioneering spirit that embodied Israel's earliest founders still flourishes. It is where students and faculty alike come to fulfill their dreams and goals to create a better Israel and better future for themselves, their compatriots and for the world.

Recruiting the Best and Brightest

Israel's greatest natural resource is its brainpower. It is the innovations created by Israel's talented and highly educated people that have fueled its survival for 60 years and made Israel a world leader in high-tech, science, engineering, and medicine.

At BGU, students and faculty are engaging in cutting-edge research in solar energy, water management, sustainable development of drylands, international medicine, biotechnology, economics, social work, and more. Together, they are "greening" our planet.

One of the University's top priorities is its commitment to attracting and retaining Israel's finest minds. They come to BGU not only because of their deep and abiding commitment to Zionism, but also because BGU goes out of its way to provide an irresistible working environment for its faculty.

Scientists need state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories in which to carry out their work. They also need research associates, graduate, doctoral and post-doc students. BGU strives to offer the most competitive packages that will bring the best of the best to the Negev.

Making it all happen is costly. It couldn't be done without the generous support of donors to American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU).

Fifty percent of BGU's students come from the lowest third socio-economic bracket.

BGU's 17,000 students come from throughout Israel. Nearly half come from immigrant or underprivileged homes in the Negev. Many of them cannot afford the cost of tuition, housing and books.

They and their parents may earn less than half of that earned by the typical American family, while generally bearing a much higher tax burden. And, because most Israelis serve in the military for three to five years before starting college, they are generally older than American students and often already shoulder family responsibilities of their own.

BGU cannot meet the increased demand for scholarships without your help. By participating in this effort you can make an extraordinary difference in the lives of one or more Israeli students.

Education is the key to Israel's prosperity and security.

Your investment in Ben-Gurion University will support critically needed scholarships, recruit outstanding faculty, provide services to the community, advance Israel's research agenda, and guarantee BGU's ongoing role in developing new technologies from the desert for the world.

Following a visit to BGU's Annual Student Engineering Project Day, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman described Ben-Gurion University students as "oil wells that don't run dry."

Invest in our oil wells today. 

AABGU is an independent not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization; all contributions are tax-deductible. More than 84 percent of all donations goes directly to the University.