May 31, 2021

Dear Faculty Members,

I'm happy to share the latest updates.

Alongside the healing process of returning to routine, the challenges presented to us have taught us that our normal course of action should be improved.

1. Undergraduate students. This year, our University has about 13,200 undergraduate students. This is the highest number of undergraduate students in the University’s history (the previous record was 13,100 students, in 1998; the number of students decreased over the years since then, and began to increase again only in 2018). The unusually high demand to study with us continues this year as well, and this obliged us to raise the admissions thresholds. In the 2021-2022 school year, approximately 14,000 undergraduate students are expected to study at the Hebrew University. This is our steady state goal, based on the limitation resulting from the PBS’ quota allocation policy (the quota allocated to the Hebrew University for bachelor’s and master’s degree students combined is 19,200, and it is expected to grow to only about 20,000 next year. For comparison, the quota for Tel Aviv University, whose number of faculty members is similar to ours, is already at about 24,000).

2. Teaching. Conducting traditional classroom teaching in the pre-COVID-19 period, which was mainly based on lectures, was replaced by remote learning, which included extensive use of recorded lectures, Zoom sessions and formative assessment (projects, papers and exercises). The return to normalcy marks a synthesis, the main point of which is to encourage faculty members to combine innovative teaching methods with classroom meetings.

Many thanks to the faculty members who provided important comments on the draft guideline document for teaching at the University. The amended version appears in the Appendix. Please review it and consider using it as part of your preparation for courses you will teach in the coming academic year. In essence, teaching will be conducted using a variety of methods, which are divided into four main types. The division is not rigid, and it is possible to combine various characteristics in the same course:

A) Teaching done mainly in the classroom (including parallel teaching) ("in-class course")

B) Teaching that combines watching recorded lectures with class sessions ("combined course")

C) Teaching based on an online a-synchronic course ("online course")

D) Remote synchronic teaching via Zoom ("remote course").

Teaching at the Hebrew University will mainly include courses from the first two types (in-class course and combined course) and conducting teaching in this format is largely left at the teachers' discretion. The goal is to promote innovation in teaching, which includes independent-learning. On the other hand, instruction in accordance with the last two types (online course and remote synchronic teaching) is subject to the rules set out in the guidelines, and teaching in this way requires approval of the Teaching Committee.

Thank you to the excellent staff of the Teaching and Learning Unit for their great assistance in formulating the guidelines and especially for their willingness to continue to help teachers test better teaching methods. We highly recommend that you participate in a teaching workshop conducted by Unit in the coming months.

A critical note on the importance of teaching: A large majority of our faculty members recognize that teaching is a task whose importance is just as great as research.  Yet there is a (small) minority who thinks that teaching is an unavoidable burden, which is best to avoid. In this spirit, there are certain faculties (in the experimental sciences) in which faculty members traditionally hardly teach prior to attaining tenure. In my view, such positions are misguided, and stand contrary to the aims of the Hebrew University.  Teaching students in undergraduate degree programs is our critical contribution to the advancement of science and the education of our society’s future generations of leaders. Teaching affords us an opportunity to reexamine our fundamental positions as researchers, and many of our faculty members have certainly experienced cases in which questions asked by students, as well as the need to explain a certain subject in a clear manner, yielded important insights and scientific breakthroughs. Those who do not teach miss out on a golden opportunity to get to know our future generation, the best students in Israel, many of whom are also very successful internationally. Those who do not teach miss an opportunity to guide graduate students who will come to their lab thanks to the contact created in undergraduate classes. The implementation of the new scholarship program is intended, among other things, to provide an additional incentive to fulfill the task of teaching.

3. Graduate studies. Graduate students at the Hebrew University include two main groups: One group consists of master’s degree students studying in non-thesis programs (approximately 2,700 students) and clinical professional training programs (approximately 900 students). The importance of academic training of this group is essentially similar to that of the undergraduate teaching discussed above. The second group consists of research master’s degree students (approximately 3,000 students) and doctoral students (approximately 2,400 research students), whose studies include conducting significant academic research. The latter group is an important part of our research activity, and many of its members also take an active part in teaching. In this context, we have two main objectives, designed to improve the quality of academic training and the quality of research at the University. The first objective is increasing the number of graduate students engaged in research, mainly in experimental sciences. The second objective is shortening the time in which students complete their studies.

On the first plain, a key way to increase the interest of outstanding students to study with us for their graduate degrees is excellent undergraduate teaching, and exposing our undergraduate students to research activity. In this context, some units offer courses which include activities in a research laboratory. Other units offer summer scholarships to undergraduate students, to encourage training in a research lab. In addition, there are programs that invite undergraduate students to take courses from the master’s degree program, which are “stored” until admission to graduate studies. It is very important to increase this type of activities.

Another aspect is offering scholarships to graduate students. Our university competes with other institutions in Israel and abroad, especially in experimental sciences. Thus, along with the scientific benefits of conducting research at the Hebrew University, we must ensure that we offer appropriate financial conditions. To this end, starting now, we will take three steps as part of the new scholarship program in experimental sciences: 1. Full tuition exemption for master’s degree students in experimental sciences who devote all of their time to study and research (the tuition exemption will be funded through the University’s budget). 2. Creation of a scholarship program for outstanding students, which will grant a generous living stipend for two years to outstanding research master’s degree students in experimental sciences (during the first year, the stipend will be financed through the University’s budget, and during the second year it will be financed though the advisor’s research budget).  In the first phase, we will offer scholarships to 145 new students each year, and in the coming years the number of scholarships will gradually increase, to a target of about 450 scholarships in each incoming academic year. 3. Participation in funding scholarships for doctoral students in experimental sciences. For many years, about 120 doctoral scholarships are awarded each year with central funding, to outstanding students in the Mt. Scopus units. Starting next year, we will also award centrally funded scholarships in experimental sciences as well. The scholarships (NIS 80,000 per year per supervisor, which can be awarded to one or two research students), will be awarded to members of experimental science faculties who meet criteria of certain scientific activity (winning a competitive research grant, publishing articles, advising graduate students and teaching). This move involves a considerable financial investment, and is made in recognition of the great importance of promoting research at the University, among other things by increasing the attractiveness of pursuing graduate studies here.

On the second plain, of shortening the duration of studies, the various units are currently engaged in the reorganization of master's degree studies at the University, mainly with regard to monitoring academic progress and limiting the time required to complete a research project. We’re also re-examining the doctoral program direct-track, as it turns out that in many cases this track, as currently structured, actually leads to an extension of the duration of the master's studies.

The Authority for Research Students is working to enforce the restrictions on the duration of doctoral studies more strictly, alongside actions to shorten the dissertation evaluation period. Thanks to broad moves taken by the Authority for Research Students in the non-experimental sciences, and the excellent cooperation of supervisors, the number of graduates has increased considerably (despite the challenges posed by COVID-19), as shown in Table 1.

 

2020/2021	2019/2020	2018/2019	2017/2018	Table 1. PhD graduates in the non-experimental sciences
88	66	63	44	Humanities
62	62	46	47	Social Sciences
15	13	10	10	Law
15	10	8	9	Social work
14	10	6	6	Education
5	3	7	6	Business Administration
189	164	140	122	Total

Steps are also being taken by the Authority for Research Students in experimental sciences to shorten the duration of the doctorate. Here too, we expect an increase in the number of graduates (Table 2 shows non-final numbers for the current year):

2020/2021 (partial)	2019/2020	2018/2019	2017/2018	Table 2. PhD graduates in experimental sciences
74	79	72	75	Natural Sciences
10	7	13	19	Computer Science
10	8	7	7	Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences
42	46	41	43	Medicine
8	21	13	10	Pharmacology
6	8	4	2	Dentistry
34	30	40	30	Agriculture
4	4	4	4	Veterinary
188	203	194	190	Total

The doctoral degree graduation ceremony will take place at the (Amphi)theater on Mount Scopus, on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. All members of the University community are invited to attend. The academic units will hold an event shortly before the ceremony, where the new doctoral students and supervisors will be given the opportunity to meet and congratulate one another.

4. Research contribution. The adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on research activities are expected to materialize soon. Meanwhile, existing data suggest that research activity at the University continues to grow. An indirect expression of our research success is reflected in the achievements of our researchers in winning competitive research funds and in academic publications in leading journals.

Of the various international rankings, The Journal Nature Index provides a relatively good estimate of the scope of research activity. The index is based on a count of articles in journals that the index’s editors define as leading journals, as decided by expert committees. The index has a number of limitations: 1. Each article receives the same score, regardless of the journal’s IF (but the choice of journals ensures reasonable filtering); 2. Each author receives the same weight, regardless of their placement in the list of authors (each article receives a point, which is distributed equally among all of the authors); 3. The global ranking is not normalized according to the number of researchers at the institution; 4. The index includes only studies in the natural sciences (life science and biomedicine, physics, chemistry and earth sciences). Table 3 summarizes our achievements and those of the other leading institutions in Israel on this index, and Table 4 includes a summary of the articles published only in the two leading journals, Nature and Science. The rankings in the table are for global academic institutions. If all research institutions (including industry) are included, our ranking is about 10 places lower.

 

2020		2019		2018			2017		2016		Table 3: Total  Publications
Ranking	Articles	Ranking	Articles	Ranking	Articles	Normalized	Ranking	Articles	Ranking	Articles
62	173.5	62	159.9	173.2	56	2	50	175.4	46	181	Weizmann
100	126.6	98	117.6	110.8	98	52	93	116.8	85	121.2	Hebrew University
145	90.8	104	108.2	85	149	-	125	90.7	165	75.7	Tel Aviv University
107	121.4	128	98.6	106.9	106	20	140	85.9	102	104.5	Technion

The data show that in publications in all of the journals in this index, our growth trend continues, with a record figure in 2020 compared to the last five years. That said, the other global institutions have also improved, so our world ranking remained unchanged. Among our colleagues, the output of publications at the Weizmann Institute is stable and high, while at the other two institutions there is considerable volatility. The figure that is normalized by the number of faculty members (currently only available for 2018) shows that all four institutions are probably in the top 100 in the world in natural sciences, so the main explanation for the relatively low ranking is the number of researchers.

 

Table 4: S&N	2017		2018		2019		2020
	Articles	Ranking	Articles	Ranking	Articles	Ranking	Articles	Ranking
Weizmann	12.05	18	9.8	28	8.34	30	9.4	30
Hebrew University	3.3	65	-	-	1	239	3.16	90
Tel Aviv University	-	-	-	-	1.8	128	1.91	139
Technion	3.3	63	4.6	55	1.96	121	2.68	100

In the index of publications only in Science and Nature (only the two main ones), we had a good year (after a setback in the previous two years). The Weizmann Institute is in a league of its own.

5. Arab-Jewish relations. This is another complex aspect in the return to normalcy. The last few weeks, which included riots that approached dangerously close to civil war, and rocket fire from Gaza and the ensuing fighting, have damaged the fabric of life at our University. Thankfully, there were no acts of violence within the campuses. However, near the Mt. Scopus campus several violent incidents took place, along with widespread violent incidents in various places in Jerusalem. The events evoked a heavy feeling among many Jews and Arabs alike. Many felt, and some still do, fear of being attacked. Additionally, there were offensive statements made by students on social networks, including in class WhatsApp groups and a display of defiant images during Zoom lessons. The combined result of these acts is worrying and causes damage to the fabric of community life together at the University. Many students, Jews and Arabs alike, have expressed their apprehension about coming to campus.

The Hebrew University is blessed with a diverse student body. Through hard work, the proportion of Arab students at the University has increased, from about 12% of undergraduate students in 2017 to about 16% this year, and to about 14% of the total student body. The University has initiated many activities to enable meaningful meetings among Jewish and Arab students and has also taken educational actions to this end. Unfortunately, during a time of test and challenge, these measures proved to be insufficient. In light of this, alongside the attempt to return to routine research and teaching activities at the University, we are taking a series of steps designed to help in the immediate and longer terms. Among other things, the transportation system offered by the University was reinforced, security operations was increased in the vicinity of the campuses and dormitories, and the psychological counseling system were expanded. At the same time, there were meetings of faculty members as well as departmental meetings with students, for a discussion designed to allow sharing of feelings and an examination of the desired responses to offensive expressions. The goal is to try to establish a greater degree of solidarity and mutual acquaintance between Jews and Arabs. The team appointed by the President for this purpose is working to formulate a variety of programs, in addition to existing ones. I ask the heads of the academic units as well as faculty members to make suggestions and initiate student meetings to discuss the situation, within and outside the classroom.

We are under no illusions that we can solve all of the difficulties. The University cannot be detached from the storm around us. We have a duty to recognize the harsh reality in which many of our friends, students and faculty, are required to operate; there is no basis to believe that only Arabs or only Jews are in distress, and there is no need to engage in measurements and comparisons of whose distress is more severe or more justified. We must offer support and solidarity. We must increase contact (exposure) among members of the various communities, respect the feelings of fear, and recognize that there may also be feelings of anger, which we are doomed to live with (in the spirit of Yosef Haim Brenner, "First of all – we must understand the truths of the situation [...] without sentimentality and idealism").

 

In conclusion, our general status is very good—in terms of research activity, our quality of teaching, the demand to study with us, and the University’s financial situation. Along with the growth trend that has characterized the University in recent years, our situation relative to other relevant institutions is improving only at a moderate pace, and we must continue to operate with high intensity. Thank you to all of our extraordinary colleagues for your determination and initiative. As always, we are happy to receive your comments and suggestions.

 

Best,

Barak Medina, Rector