An $18 million lead grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust will support the construction of the state-of-the-art Helmsley Computer Science Building on the new North Campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva. The computer-science department is one of the university’s largest departments and a key engine of future growth.
Construction is slated to begin in the next few months. The facility will become the largest building on the North Campus with at least 60 offices and lab space for each faculty member.
It will also house the Computer Science Student Center, complete with multimedia technology, screens, video-conferencing, academic project areas, quiet spaces and other tools available to more than 2,000 students.
The new development is intended to help increase enrollment and expand research opportunities, particularly in southern Israel. The department’s graduates often join the workforce at companies in the Advanced Technologies Park adjacent to the campus.
“We are committed to supporting Israel’s standing as a world leader in technology and scientific breakthroughs,” said Sandor Frankel, a Helmsley Trustee. “With a new computer science building at Ben-Gurion University, students and faculty will be better able to advance the field of computer science for Israel, further increasing the caliber of the country’s workforce and its ability to lead the world in innovation.”
