Haifa University to build new campus with £7.5m donation

A £7.5 million ($10 million) donation to the University of Haifa will be used to build a downtown campus, in an effort to revitalise the school and the city.

A new campus of at least four buildings will be located in the Port of Haifa and the city’s downtown area.

The donation is from American philanthropist Lorry Lokey, the founder of the international media relations service Business Wire.

An early signer of The Giving Pledge—a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back—Lokey has donated more than £600m ($800 million), or  some 98 percent of his lifetime earnings, to philanthropies, universities and educational institutions, including University of Oregon, Stanford University, Leo Baeck School, Weizmann Institute of Science, and the University of Haifa.

The Haifa Municipality is assisting the University with the acquisition of some of the new   buildings, and Lokey’s donation will be used to cover the project’s renovation costs. The new buildings will ease access for students and revitalise the city and the region.

“This gift is an affirmation of its mission to improve access to education and bring more jobs, stability and security to northern Israel by establishing a downtown campus. I invite others to join me in transforming what is becoming one of Israel’s most important universities,” Lokey said in a statement.

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