Ismael Abu-Saad

College of Education and Human Development, April 1, 2004

Ismael Abu-Saad earned a Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota in 1989. He is the first Israeli Bedouin to obtain a Ph.D. and is one of the few Arab-Israelis to achieve tenure in the higher education system. He currently is a professor in the Department of Education at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev and the founder and director of the Center for Bedouin Studies and Development as well as the Head of the Educational Administration and Policy Graduate Program. He has become a pioneer of education in the Negev desert. One of his goals was to increase the number of students enrolled at BGU from the Bedouin community, especially the number of Bedouin women. Towards this goal, he established the Center for Bedouin Students and Development, which prepares Bedouin students for the university and provides financial aid. The number of women studying at BGU increased from 8 to 120 in a period of four years. He has published numerous articles and contributed to several book chapters and other publications that have been published in such journals as the Journal of Social Psychology, Journal of Education Policy, Educational Management and Administration, and Comparative Education.

Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient

Biographies are as-of time of award presentation.