A Priceless Bond

Good evening to you all, dear TAU alumni and guests,

When we decided to establish the Alumni Organization, to weave the fabric of this extensive social network – which we are all a part of – no one would have believed that thousands would fill this square – the Schreiber Square, the lawn on which we all studied, and did a few other things as well...

Who are our alumni?

Any person who ever studied here and completed his or her degree at this university, is considered an alumnus. I admit that for me personally this took a while, but with my PhD I also corrected this wrong, and joined the ranks of TAU's alumni. Since then I have linked my own life and destiny with that of TAU, and my closest family members have acquired many degrees on this campus…

I am proud to follow in the footsteps of the university's first President, George Wise, who also took his time realizing that the future belongs to the university of the city that never stops. But once he understood, he worked tirelessly for our university's future.

170,000 graduates have emerged from this great institution in its 60 years of existence, a number that should fill us all with pride. Together we have enormous power – the power to lead processes and activities of great significance for society, both in Israel and worldwide. As alumni of Israel's largest research university, offering the most extensive range of study and knowledge disciplines, we have all the tools we need to advance both your dreams and ours at the university.

The TAU Alumni Organization was established in order to preserve and further develop the unique bond between the academic home and its residents - past, present and future, and also amongst these residents themselves – as an essential element of the social fabric in which we all live and operate. The aims of the Organization are: to strengthen our ties with the community, to provide fertile ground for mutual nourishment and inspiration, and to enable a continuum unlimited by time and place.

It is clear that when a university grows and flourishes, enhancing its reputation and elevating its position, its graduates also gain in status and prestige.  I believe that this is a two-way connection: because as you, the alumni of TAU, grow increasingly successful, holding more and more key positions in Israel's society, economy and academia, our university also gains in value. And so we continue to supply the fuel that drives the country's most important processes.

The importance of this bond - whose first anniversary we celebrate today, together with the university's 60th anniversary - is priceless. The diplomas and degrees you attained at the university are keys to a life of creativity, meaning and value, qualities which must be nourished every day.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make the dream of the Alumni Organization come true: first and foremost the General Director of our Friends Association, Ms. Sigal Eder, and the Director of the Alumni Organization, Ms. Sigalit Ben Hayoun, who, together with their dynamic teams, are recruiting more and more graduates, while initiating powerful, thrilling activities.

Thank you all, dear alumni, for being an inseparable part of our activities and our vision. I wish each and every one of you success in your chosen field and profession. Together we will make our world a better place.