Yesterday we visited Ben Gurion’s home and Research Center and today Ben-Gurion University. What an impressive campus. It is truly fulfilling David Ben Gurion’s vision in developing the Negev, which is 60% of the land of Israel. It is the fastest growing research university in Israel, 
We started the day with a short tour of the campus and learned that it has around 20,000 students and 4,000 faculty members in the Faculties of Engineering Sciences; Health Sciences; Natural Sciences; the Pinchas Sapir Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management; the Joyce and Irving Goldman School of Medicine; the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies; and the Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies.
The highlight of the tour was the panel discussion by a group of articulate and leaders in social action and community engagement. It is the mission of the University that the students not only learn, but get involved with the community as part of their education. Each student described their special community project from teaching English, working with the disadvantaged and even with neighbors in a theater group. After lunch we visited the (USA) JNF and KKL River Project. It is certainly is changing the fact of Beersheva and Ben Gurion would be proud of the vision of those developing this project for the residents of the Negev.
The desert is definitely blooming and your vision a reality!
