He will replace in his position Prof. Danny Levithan who will complete a 5-year term
Prof. Shay was unanimously chosen by the members of the search committee that recommended Prof. Aharon Shay to the Senate for the position of Rector of Tel Aviv University.
The search committee was chaired by the president of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Yosef Klifter, and included professors Eshel Ben Yaakov from the Faculty of Exact Sciences, Kobi Glazer from the Faculty of Management, Hana Wirt-Nesher from the Faculty of Humanities, Tovia Milo from the Faculty of Engineering, Israel Finkelstein from the Faculty of Science The Spirit and Yossi Shilo from the Faculty of Medicine.
Prof. Clifter welcomed the decision of the Senate plenary and noted that his eyes are on working together with Prof. Shay to march the university forward on the path of excellence.
Prof. Shay joined Tel Aviv University in 1972 after completing his undergraduate and graduate studies at the Hebrew University and his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford in England.
Prof. Shay is a historian dealing with the new period and his areas of research are European imperialism and class relations with China since the middle of the 19th century from the Opium War.
Prof. Finkelstein presented at the Senate plenary meeting the reasons of the committee for the search for a rector, among other things, he noted that "the members of the search committee were impressed that during the short period of time in which Prof. Shay served as vice rector, he helped to solve several weighty problems that were affecting the development of the university.
Prof. Finkelstein noted the extensive experience that Prof. Shay has in academic management, among other things, when he served as a member of the Council for Higher Education and a member of the boards of several higher education institutions. In the area of management experience, Prof. Finkelstein mentioned, among other things, being a director on behalf of the public and chairman of the audit committee at the Phoenix Insurance Company.
In summarizing his remarks, before the plenary of the Senate, Prof. Finkelstein stated that "Prof. Aharon Shay's academic excellence is evident in every field. The committee was deeply impressed by Prof. Shay's appearance before it. He showed comprehensive knowledge, control over details and the big picture alike, analytical ability, and understanding of the constraints the university faces. In our opinion, Prof. Shay has the right mix of academic weight, management talent and the ability to solve problems creatively.
The members of the search committee believe that Prof. Aharon Shai's skills and experience make him an excellent candidate for the position of Rector of Tel Aviv University. The members of the committee are convinced that Prof. Shay will fulfill the role of rector with talent, grace, wisdom, honesty, momentum, decisiveness and a ceaseless pursuit to promote research and excellence. We believe that he will maintain a fruitful and harmonious working relationship with the president of the university and that both of them will move the university forward, to a good future - to its rightful place among the universities of the world."
Prof. Shay will take up his position as rector during the month of August.
