Bacow meets with university presidents, students, Harvard alumni in Middle East

Harvard President Larry Bacow and his counterparts at six universities in Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank discussed the importance of international collaboration among higher education institutions and the role of universities in dealing with challenges of our time, such as pandemics and climate change, in a series of meetings and events last week. They also discussed the important role that universities play in their local communities.

Bacow also met with Harvard alumni in the region as well as students at each of the universities at events that included a presentation on climate and sustainability from students at the University of Jordan, a gathering of Ph.D. students at the Bloom School of Graduate Studies at the University of Haifa, a discussion with student diversity ambassadors at Hebrew University, and a tour of a clinical lab where he met life sciences students at Al-Quds University. In addition, he visited Tel Aviv University and met with the president of Birzeit University in Ramallah, Palestine.

The visit had been originally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID pandemic. It was to coincide with awarding an honorary degree to Bacow by Haifa University, which eventually took place virtually.

“I was very pleased to be able to go to the region after the University of Haifa honorary degree ceremony was affected by the pandemic,” said Bacow. “To have the opportunity to meet university partners and students at so many excellent universities was a privilege. It reinforced for me the importance of collaboration among educational institutions, and that we have much in common as we consider the opportunities and challenges of our time.”

Bacow began the visit with an alumni gathering in Amman, Jordan, reinforcing the theme of collaboration across borders and thanking alumni for their work as ambassadors before taking questions on issues ranging from ChatGPT to academic freedom.

“The Harvard community in Jordan felt very proud to welcome President Bacow,” said Basel Araj, M.P.A. ’11, president of the Harvard Club there, who called the visit “historic.” “It is crucial for alumni in Jordan to be connected to the work of the University. Research, open discussion, and education are at the core of our community, and President Bacow’s visit reinforced our sense of community and will ignite future activities together.”

While in Amman, Bacow met with University of Jordan President Nathir Obeidat. Among other issues, they discussed the challenges of the pandemic, during which Obeidat was Jordan’s minister of health, and COVID’s implications for universities. Bacow also met with students working on climate change and toured the University of Jordan’s National Heritage Museum.

Bacow then went on to Israel, where he made his delayed visit to the University of Haifa. Bacow thanked Haifa President Ron Robin for inviting him to campus. Celebrating its 50th anniversary year, Bacow praised the university for “looking to the future” and imagining a role for itself in addressing important societal challenges.

“It is important for universities to be engaged in the issues of our time,” Bacow said at a meeting of university deans and other leaders. “Whether addressing climate change, the future of democracy, or pushing the frontiers of knowledge, universities such as Haifa and Harvard have a vital role to play through our teaching and research.”

The presidents discussed the importance of academic freedom and student body diversity, an important objective at Haifa, where 40 percent of the student body is Arab.

Bacow also met with graduate students at Haifa working in several fields, including nursing and economics at the Bloom School of Graduate Studies. The school is named for Bradley Bloom, a Boston business leader and philanthropist who graduated from Harvard College and has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

While in Israel, Bacow spoke with President Ariel Porat of Tel Aviv University and President Asher Cohen of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he also met with student diversity ambassadors representing the school’s affinity groups. The group, supported by Hebrew’s Vice President of Strategy and Diversity Mona Khoury-Kassabri, aims to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of diversity and to create an inclusive student body culture. Bacow spent a sabbatical at Hebrew University in 1981.

In addition, Bacow spoke at an event attended by more than 150 alumni in Tel Aviv, and took questions about the work of the University.

Bacow went on to the West Bank, where he met with the presidents of Al-Quds University and Birzeit University. Visiting the Al-Quds campus in Abu Dis, Bacow toured its new innovation incubator space and met with medical students in their lab.

In a meeting with Al-Quds President Imad Abu Kishek and his senior leadership, Bacow and his counterpart discussed the future of teaching and learning, the importance of nurturing innovative new business enterprises on campus, and ways in which universities contribute to the local community and economy.

At Ramallah, Bacow met with community and business leaders, and had a conversation with alumni, discussing the role of universities and updating the group on recent developments at Harvard. Calling the event a “historic first meeting between a Harvard University president and Palestinian alumni in Palestine,” Marwan Durzi, M.P.A. ’12, who organized the gathering, talked about why it felt so necessary.

“This meeting was an important milestone for alumni in Palestine toward more engagement in supporting and promoting our alma mater,” said Durzi. “The alumni had a unique opportunity to hear President Bacow speak about the University’s activities and to ask questions about the role of Harvard in contributing to peace, justice, and equality in the Holy Land, ideas to encourage more Palestinian students to apply, and ideas to establish strategic relationships between Harvard and Palestinian institutions.”

The visit was one of a number of international trips Bacow has taken during his tenure as Harvard president. He has traveled to China, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. In each location, he spoke on the role of research universities, met with university leaders, and attended alumni gatherings.