The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Institute for Social Leadership was dedicated at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev on Sunday, in the presence of Morton L. Mandel, Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich and BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi.
The Mandel Institute for Social Leadership is unique in the world, applying a business and management approach to civil society and the third sector. The magnificent new building will house the Mandel Social Leadership MBA Program and the Israeli Center for Third Sector Research and will become a home for a variety of executive programs in the future.
“Over the years, Ben-Gurion University has built a reputation for itself as a place of higher learning that goes well beyond academics and test scores. The difference lies in the values BGU holds and the sense of social responsibility it tries to instill in its students,” said Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management Dean Prof. Oded Lowengart. “Social leadership requires the integration of advanced management knowledge, leadership skills and a deep commitment to social improvement. Our goal is to further educate the best MBA students to become social leaders, and help create qualified generations who pay it forward. Thank you, Mr. Mandel, for recognizing how together, with our shared values, we can improve life for so many through a unique partnership,” he concluded.
Prof. Rivka Carmi praised Mort Mandel’s vision and commitment.
“Dearest Mort Mandel, benefactor, friend, my inspiration. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel visionary assertion is ‘the hallmark of our philanthropy is our commitment to invest in people with the values, ability and passion to change the world.’ And indeed, Mort Mandel, the relentless torch carrier of the legacy of this incredible trio of siblings is not a donor. He is an investor. And a very smart one. To me he is the embodiment of a 'startupist,' an investor in start-ups. All of Mort's philanthropic start-ups that I am aware of have proved to be very successful.
“But the one I know the best, since I was intimately involved with its conception and birth, is the MBA in Social Leadership, one of a kind in the world that was founded some six years ago with Mort Mandel's unique and very clear vision, that in order to prepare the best people for running the third sector, which has gradually grown to be a key factor in growth and development not only in Israel but throughout the world, we need to give them a well-rounded, rigorous MBA education with a parallel curriculum in social leadership.
“Thank you Mort Mandel for who you are and thank God for giving me the enormous privilege to call you my partner and friend, not only on behalf of BGU but also and especially on my personal behalf. Your generosity, but moreover, your wise guidance and clear insights every step of the way we have taken together so far, are once in a lifetime experiences for me and an incredible, outstanding inspiration,” she said.
Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich called Mort Mandel a great friend of Beer-Sheva. “There are no greater partners in the vision for Beer-Sheva than Ben-Gurion University and Mort Mandel,” Danilovich declared.
Danilovich then turned to the third graduating class of the Mandel Social Leadership MBA Program. “There is no formula that turns people into leaders. You must be born with it. But it can be refined and improved. The country needs you. What is social leadership? It is not to look behind you and wait for someone else to do. Find the right path yourselves. As David Ben-Gurion said: ‘One does not write history, one makes history’.”
“You have a heavy responsibility now and expectations are high for you to change the city, the country and the world,” he added. “This is the era of ‘we,’ of partnerships,” he told the graduates. Turning to Mort Mandel, “We look for the partnership, not the money. And you are a valued partner.”
Mandel began on a humorous note.
“Compliments are like candy, you can taste them but don’t swallow them,” he thanked the audience. Quickly settling down to a more serious tone, “I care a lot about this Institute and being part of a process that will turn out people who will change the world.”
“What some of you don’t know,” he continued, “is that we are establishing a garden as well in memory of our parents, Simon and Rose Mandel. Our philanthropy comes directly from a sense of obligation to our mother and her values. She passed away in 1959 and I think that, subconsciously, I have been trying to please her and make her proud. She can take pleasure that her children are acting in ways of which she would approve,” he said emotionally.
“You are making my dream come true,” he concluded.
The five-floor, 3,400 square meter building has been designed to create a welcoming, beautiful home for students, faculty, and researchers and to provide an environment that facilitates learning and research connected with society. Ahead of the building's inauguration, a time capsule was stored behind a wall on the Institute's first floor. The time capsule contains documentation of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's and the Mandel Foundation's joint endeavors. The time capsule is to be opened in 2066.
The vision of the Mandel Social Leadership Institute includes a strong will to contribute to social progress in Israel. In order to accomplish this goal, it intends to impact a large array of social leaders in Israel. In August 2016, the Mandel Social Leadership Institute began to offer executive education programs. By educating students who are deep in their careers and who have already acquired ten years or more of experience, the Institute expects to have greater and more immediate impact on nonprofit organizational management and social progress.
