Success in college calls for more than just brains and tuition. Students need what the educational experts call “academic capital” ― familiarity with academic study, a level of support at home, a degree of parental guidance and the strength of an educational foundation.
Academically gifted students from underserved communities pass through the gates of colleges and universities eager to learn, but if they come from a sub-par school, a home with struggling or distracted adult, or even from a different culture or country, they then may find themselves flailing.
That shouldn’t happen at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a Palm Beach couple has decided — and they’ve given a $3 million grant to help ensure it won’t.
The gift from Stacy Mandel and Keith Palagye, through their eponymous foundation, will establish a facility and support programming for a new student academic center at the public university.
The gift was announced by the American Friends of The Hebrew University, the U.S. financial support arm of the the Israel-based institution.
The center will bring together undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented student populations, according to the announcement. It will provided students with skill-building techniques, support services and academic guidance to help ensure their collegiate success and develop into future leaders
“What moves me most is the vision at the heart of this gift … (to create) a place where students from all walks of life can come together,” said University President Tamir Sheafer, “a place where young people from diverse backgrounds, communities, and perspectives can meet, connect and begin a conversation.”
Scheafer added: “That in itself is a profound and lasting contribution to our campus and to society.”
The center will be named the The Stacy Mandel and Keith Palagye Shared Society Academic Skills Center.
“It is an honor to provide this important gift, which further enhances co-existence at the Hebrew University and expands the resources to support its increasingly diverse and underrepresented populations,” Mandel and Palagye said in a prepared joint statement. “The richness of student diversity also brings additional student needs, including the skills essential for academic success.”
The center will address the needs of the university’s underrepresented social groups, including first-generation, Arab, Ethiopian and ultra-Orthodox students, as well as students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and socially or geographically peripheral communities.
Student services will include one-on-one sessions customized to fit each person’s specific requirements. Short-term workshops, training programs and seminars will focus on helping develop specific skills, such as writing research questions, integrating sources and adhering to referencing rules. Structured group programs that may span multiple sessions will focus on a range of skills while also building social and academic networks among the participans.
“At the Hebrew University, diversity is not only about representation, but also about creating meaningful connections among students from different communities and backgrounds,” said Professor Mona Khoury, the university’s vice president for strategy and diversity.
“The Shared Society Academic Skills Center reflects our belief that academic excellence and inclusion go hand in hand. By providing students with the tools, support and sense of belonging they need to succeed, we are helping close longstanding educational and social gaps while fostering a stronger, more connected campus community.”
Construction of the center on the Mount Scopus campus is under way.
The university was founded in 1918 by a group of intellectual leaders, including Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Martin Buber and future first president of Israel Chaim Weizmann. The institution drives much of Israel’s civilian scientific research and the commercialization of technologies through Yissum, its tech transfer company, according to the university. Faculty and alumni of the university have earned ten Nobel Prizes.
Shannon Donnelly writes about philanthropy as society editor of the Palm Beach Daily News.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach couple gives $3 million to Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Reporting by Shannon Donnelly, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shannon Donnelly, Palm Beach Daily News | USA TODAY Network
