Lauder Dormitory Building Inaugurated

At a festive ceremony attended by Minister of Education Naftali Bennett, the Lauder Dormitory Building was inaugurated today at the Technion

The state-of-the art building was donated to the Technion by World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder and his wife Jo Carole

“The Technion is, and should continue to be, the beacon of the State of Israel,” said Minister of Education Naftali Bennett today at the Technion. The remarks were made at the inauguration ceremony of the Lauder Student Dormitory Building, which was held with the participation of Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie, Ronald Lauder’s representative in Israel Avi Balashnikov, Technion Dean of Students Prof. Benny Natan and Technion Student Union Chairman Omer Amit. The ceremony was held as part of the events of the Technion International Board of Governors.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder and his wife Jo Carole donated $5 million to the Technion for the construction of the dorms – the most beautiful and elaborate dormitories in Israel for undergraduate students.  The complex consists of four 9-storey buildings with 116 apartments and 488 beds. The new dormitories, designed by architects Yael and Yaron Granot, will house 408 single students and 40 couples.

The Lauder Dormitory Building, which was inaugurated this morning, is equipped with advanced technologies and infrastructure and contains 29 apartments with 122 housing solutions (beds) for students.  

Minister of Education Naftali Bennett said at the ceremony that “the Technion’s secret lies in its being an integral part of Israeli society and of the vision of the State of Israel.  You are not hidden away in an ivory tower. On the contrary, you are connected to the Israeli experience and operate out of a commitment to society. You are working to increase the number of ultra-Orthodox and Arab students and students from outlying areas, providing an equal opportunity to all residents of Israel. The new dormitories, built through the donation of the Lauder family, will enable students to invest their time and energy in their demanding studies. On this day, we are planting the seeds of a promising future.”

“We are delighted and grateful to be inaugurating today the Ron and Jo Carole Lauder dormitory building on the Technion campus. This is a great day of celebration for us,” said Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie at the ceremony. “Technion is proud to be the Israeli university with the largest number of dormitory beds in the country, and in fact, the total number of beds in all other universities combined – is smaller than the number at Technion – close to 5000 beds. It is our explicit policy to open the dorms to all students, practicing what we preach in terms of diversity and equal opportunity.

“The Technion plays a major role in closing the socio-economic and cultural divides in the Israeli society. Increasing the number of dormitories where students – Jews and Arabs, Israeli Born and new Immigrants, religious and secular, live side by side, and pay the lowest rent in Israel, is crucial to achieve these goals.

I call upon the government to allocate more land and more financial resources to both colleges and Universities to build dormitories and other needed student services. They should also help the academic institutes to facilitate the regulatory procedures needed for the construction. This may provide at least a partial solution to the pressing housing problem in Israel.”

Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav thanked the Lauder family for their investment in the city. He said: “Haifa is a university center where 45,000 students live. The Lauder family’s investment in student dormitories is an important and correct investment for the Technion and for Haifa.”

“The Lauder family visited the Technion about three years ago and fell in love with it,” said Ronald Lauder’s representative in Israel, Avi Balashnikov. “They are proud to be among the distinguished group of Friends of the Technion, an institution to which they attach great importance in the building and development of the State of Israel and the Jewish People. The Lauder Foundation works to promote education and academia in Israel and the donation to the Technion continues this important support for the advancement of higher education in the State of Israel.”

From left to right: Ronald Lauder’s representative in Israel Avi Balashnikov, Minister of Education Naftali Bennett and Technion President Prof. Peretz Lavie at the dedication ceremony of the new dormitory building.