New Clinton Center for American Studies to be Established

Communicated by the Government Press Office

Tel Aviv----January 20.....Former US President William Jefferson Clinton is scheduled to arrive in Israel today, at the invitation of Tel Aviv University, to receive an honorary doctorate from the TAU Senate at a festive ceremony organized by TAU at the David Intercontinental Hotel.

Numerous distinguished guests will attend the celebration, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, cabinet ministers, TAU President and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Prof. Itamar Rabinovich, TAU Rector Shimon Yankielowicz, US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer, university heads, Mr. Haim Saban, representatives of the business community, senior media and public figures and Friends of TAU in Israel and around the world.

In a statement prior to the ceremony, Prof. Rabinovich noted that he had worked closely with the Clinton Administration for nearly four years and had been able to observe, first hand, President Clinton's deep and sincere relations with Israel and the Jewish people.
"Israel has had other great friends in the White House, but I cannot think of another administration that evinced such extensive and profound sympathy for our country," Prof. Rabinovich said. "In light of these relations and based on his contribution to peace in the Middle East and to unprecedented prosperity in the first half of the 1990s, Tel Aviv University is honoring President Clinton by awarding him an honorary doctorate."

Prime Minister Sharon will address those present and former President Clinton will deliver the keynote address.

The conferment of a Doctor Philosophaie Honoris Causa on former President Clinton will include two students that will place the ceremonial hood on President Clinton's shoulders. Shiri Lev-Ari of the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students and Gavin Schwarz of the Sackler School of Medicine's New York American Program.

President of TAU, Professor Rabinovich and the Rector, Professor Yankielowicz will present Clinton with a scroll citing the TAU Senate's resolve to confer an honorary doctorate upon him.

The text of the scroll is as follows:
"In recognition of his remarkable contribution to peace, prosperity and democracy throughout the world during his eight-year term as President of the United States; his good works in raising educational standards, reducing poverty, improving health care and rejuvenating community spirit in America; his dedication to social justice and to ensuring equal opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds; his promotion of scientific and technological research;

And in special recognition of his inspired personal efforts to achieve peace in different parts of the world, and particularly in the Middle East; his unwavering commitment to guaranteeing peace and security for Israel; and his warm sentiments for Israel and its people, who esteem him as a great leader, brilliant statesman and beloved friend."

Prof. Yankielowicz noted that by conferring honorary doctorates, Tel Aviv University acknowledges and pays tribute to the contributions made by scientists, scholars, men and women of letters and the arts, leaders, and public figures, each having made an important and substantive contribution to the advancement of human knowledge, culture and society in his/her own way.

Prof. Rabinovich noted further that former President Clinton's visit to Israel, as well as the ceremony, would provide an appropriate opportunity to announce the planned Clinton Center for American Studies at Tel Aviv University, and to inaugurate the Saban Institute for the Study of the American Political System at TAU.

The Clinton Center for American Studies at Tel Aviv University - the first such center in Israel - will provide Israeli students and scholars with a gateway to enhanced historical and cultural understanding of their country's closest ally, the United States. The University believes President Clinton's legacy of peacemaking, dedication to social justice and education, and his deep, unwavering friendship toward Israel will inspire both faculty and students.

"President Clinton's contributions to the State of Israel, and his efforts to bring about a lasting, secure peace for Israel and its neighbors, are among the most important contributions any American president has ever made here. His enlightened leadership led to a new vision for our people and the American people and it is only fitting that we honor him with our highest mark of distinction," said Prof. Rabinovich.

Mr. Michael Steinhardt, Chairman of the International Board of Governors of Tel-Aviv University (TAU), also praised the university for awarding the degree and thanked Clinton for lending his name to the planned center and for his hard work in pursuit of peace. "Former Pres. Clinton honors Tel Aviv University by attaching his name to this new vibrant center," Steinhardt said. "He was and is such a strong friend of Israel, working tirelessly on behalf of her well-being. The university so justly awards him one of its highest honors."

The Saban Institute will engage in interdisciplinary research and teaching, operating out of the TAU School of Government and Policy. New and advanced graduate degree courses will be opened and the Institute will train researchers and policy makers in issues pertaining to the US political system.

Tel Aviv University is Israel's major and most comprehensive institution of research and higher education. A vibrant hub of multidisciplinary research and scholarship, Tel Aviv University is committed to fostering academic excellence for its students and programs. Partnering with other leading academic and cultural institutions around the globe ensures that program initiatives remain innovative and relevant. Tel Aviv University enjoys the support of dedicated friends throughout the world. Friends organizations are a critical link to the University and are valued partners in helping to fulfill the mission of the University.

The Tel Aviv University Senate annually confers the degree of doctor philosophiae honoris causa upon scientists, men and women of letters and the arts, leaders and public figures. President Clinton will join an illustrious gallery of world leaders who have received honorary doctorates from Tel Aviv University, including former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and former Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Rabin.

The first such award ceremony took place 500 years ago. The first honorary doctorate was awarded in 1493 by Cambridge University, England, to British poet John Skelton. In this country, such awards were made even before the State of Israel was established, and institutions of higher education awarded honorary doctorates upon the recipients of their choice.

The trip is Clinton's first to the Middle East since leaving office exactly one year ago.