Page 16 - HAC President Report 2022

Faculty and
Department Updates

Farewell:

Over seven years ago, Prof. Chaim Waxman,
Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Jewish
Studies at Rutgers University, helped HAC
establish the first B.A. program in Behavioral
Science offered in Jerusalem. Following six
fruitful years as Chair of HAC’s Department of
Behavioral Science, he is now stepping down to
pursue his research and other projects.

“I take great pleasure and pride in the fact that
we have a good department and reputation,” he
says, and goes on to note that HAC students ‘’feel heard and cared for.” Over the years, Chaim
personally interviewed every candidate for the program, and he remains in contact with quite a few
graduates, many of whom have completed graduate degrees and today work in business, hi-tech,
social services, and more.

“I love the diversity,” he remarks about his experience at HAC. “It’s exciting to see how ties
between students from different backgrounds develop on campus, and I absolutely believe we are
making a wider impact on Israeli society.”

Congratulations:

Israel’s Council of Higher Education has
promoted Prof. Ariela Gordon-Shaag, Chair
of HAC’s Department of Optometry and
Vision Science, to the rank of full professor.
Gordon-Shaag is the first woman in the field
of optometry to achieve this academic rank
in Israel, and has served as Department Chair
since 2013.

Prof. Gordon-Shaag grew up in an environment
that encouraged women to do everything that
men could, but there were still only a few young women who opted to study math and the sciences
at the time.

“I can’t say that I haven’t encountered bias,” she says, but agrees that fortunately things have
changed since the days when new mothers had to pump milk in university bathrooms. “At HAC,
we try to create a supportive atmosphere for young women and especially new mothers; during
the pandemic, we even allowed them to bring young babies into class. Our Strauss Campus is
introducing young ultra-Orthodox women to new professions that they never imagined studying.”

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