Hebrew University awards Honorary PhD to Wolfensohn
Former president of the World Bank and special envoy for the Quartet on the Middle East, Australian-born Sir James Wolfensohn KBE AO, will receive an honorary doctor of philosophy degree at the opening session of the meeting of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Board of Governors.
Sir James Wolfensohn
A highly respected figure in the worlds of finance, world development and diplomacy, Wolfensohn is a loyal friend and energetic supporter of Israel whose concern is reflected in his resolute commitment to bringing peace to Israel and its neighbors.
Sir James Wolfensohn, who was born and raised in Australia, assumed the presidency of the World Bank in 1995 following a successful career in international investment banking that had spanned several continents. During his two terms at the World Bank, he spearheaded a landmark change in approach that focused on human development and ensuring debt relief for the world’s poorest countries.
Wolfensohn is also known for his extraordinarily diverse interests in the arts, education and humanitarian causes. He is a former chairman of the board of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, and chairman emeritus of Carnegie Hall and of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He has served in leadership positions at the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies, the Business Council for Sustainable Development and the Rockefeller Foundation, and has been a board member of numerous other organizations.
Awarded an honorary knighthood for his contribution to the arts in 1995, Sir James Wolfensohn has been decorated by more than ten governments. He has likewise been honored by educational and research institutions, museums and cultural centers, and charitable foundations throughout the world.
In 2005, Sir James Wolfensohn was appointed the Quartet’s special envoy for the Gaza disengagement, bringing his characteristic insight and wisdom to the diplomatic arena through his role in coordinating the planned disengagement and in spearheading reconstruction efforts. This same concern for Israel and its future finds expression in his involvement with the Hebrew University, where he has established student scholarships in honor of his late father, Hyman Wolfensohn, and has supported its activities in Jewish art. In 2011, he was awarded the Truman Peace Prize by the University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace.
Wolfensohn will be one of ten distinguished figures who will be receiving an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University this year.
