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Rehovot's Shame: Weizmann Institute Corruption Begins at the Stone Administration Building
Please don't miss the story about the corruption by the Institutes' former vice president Yoram Groner and present academic secretary Boaz Avron (who also holds the post of the Head, Directorate for Research and Academic Affairs, Weizmann Institute Fools students and staff, My Rehovot, 25 May 2006); and Police to question heads of Weizmann Institute about embezzlement affair by Globes.co.il.
"Around two months ago, the president of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Ilan Chet, flew with his wife to New York to attend a special evening at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was supposed to be a farewell tribute to him ahead of the end of his term, and was part of the annual event organized by the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. But a surprise awaited Chet upon his arrival in New York. The executive vice president of the American Committee, Martin Kraar, advised him not to attend the event - because he was not permitted to do so.
This humiliating incident was the climax of an episode that has embarrassed one of Israel's most prestigious institutions for several months. The circumstances surrounding Chet's departure from his post at the beginning of the month have become the talk of the institute's green, tranquil grounds in Rehovot. At the heart of the episode are charges of inappropriate behavior on the part of the departing president, focusing on private work he did, ostensibly without authorization, for an American company.
Chet, 67, was selected as the Weizmann Institute's ninth president five years ago. Some of his predecessors include the first president of the State of Israel, Dr. Chaim Weizmann (for whom the institute was named); Prof. Ephraim Katzir, who also served as president of Israel, and a series of such distinguished scientists as Prof. Israel Dostrovsky, one of the heads of Israel's nuclear program, and Prof. Albert Sabin, who developed the polio vaccine.
Chet is considered a world-renowned expert and research pioneer in the biological control of plant disease, concentrating on the use of environmentally friendly microorganisms to decrease the need for pesticides.
He was born in Haifa in 1939 and studied at Hebrew University's agriculture department, where he served as a tenured professor and vice president and was awarded numerous prizes for his research. The prizes he received include the Rothschild Prize for Agriculture (1990), the Israel Prize (1996), the Wolf Prize (1998) and others. He holds 30 patents for his research and inventions. As president of the Weizmann Institute, he enjoyed very comfortable conditions. There was nothing unusual about this. Weizmann Institute presidents receive an official residence in an on-campus villa, an expense account, numerous trips abroad to promote institute affairs, a car, and a salary that rivals the highest in Israeli academia. In addition to his salary, Chet also received a pension from the Hebrew University.
Chet, according to colleagues and Weizmann Institute officials, was not considered a particularly successful manager. Therefore, the leaders of the institute decided after three and a half years to search for a replacement. After interviewing several candidates, the search committee selected Prof. Daniel Zajfman, 47, a physicist who took up the post around two weeks ago.
'A lame duck'
The appointment of a search committee naturally angered Chet, who viewed it as his ouster. He became, as he said to his friends, "a lame duck." Of the eight presidents who preceded him, four served for periods of eight to 18 years; and four served shorter terms of two or three years, but they left of their own accord.
During the last year and a half of his tenure, he functioned as usual, but his mind was already occupied with his departure. He chose a house where he was to live following his departure and started renovating it. According to the terms of their employment, professors at the Weizmann Institute are entitled to housing on the beautiful campus until they retire at the age of 65. Then they move to an apartment off the campus of the Weizmann Institute, which pays their rent for another three years. Weizmann Institute presidents are entitled to live on the campus, in an apartment owned by the institute until they turn 80.
As renovations on his residence neared completion, Chet reached the conclusion that the apartment did not suit his needs and decided to move into another. He paid for the cost of the renovations in the first apartment out of pocket. At the same time, in September of this year, the Weizmann Institute's leaders received complaints that their president was providing paid consulting services to an American company that deals in intellectual property rights - and opened an investigation into him. According to the complaints, he received $5,000 a month for his consulting services. The complaints came from employees in his office. There were also charges that Chet concealed computer correspondences.
As a result of the complaints, Moroz, the chairman of the Weizmann Institute's board of governors, summoned Chet to a meeting abroad and charged him with doing private work contrary to guidelines and regulations. According to the institute's rules, any professor may do private work outside the institute for the equivalent of one day a week, provided he obtains the consent of his superiors. Chet denied the accusations against him, but the chairman was not convinced and notified him of the decision to appoint an oversight committee. Attorney Avraham Ben-Naftali, the chairman of the institute's executive committee, was appointed to head the oversight committee.
Attorney Ben Naftali and the oversight committee members were unable to find evidence for the claim that Chet committed criminal violations that should be presented to external bodies, or to the police for investigation. However, committee members felt that the president of the Weizmann Institute violated its rules by not asking for the required permits to undertake private consulting work. Therefore they found his actions to be ethically flawed. "As president of the institute, he should have served as a personal example and exercised extreme caution in all cases," stressed one committee member who asked to remain anonymous. A report on the committee's findings was submitted to the executive committee members.
When he realized that an oversight committee had been formed, Chet approached Attorney Eli Zohar and asked him to represent him. Zohar advised him not to agree to the formation of the committee and not to cooperate with it.
He also asked Chet to write his version of events, in which he vehemently denied the charges against him and argued that he did not engage in any consulting work and that all of his actions were in accordance with the laws and regulations. He also denied the charge that he destroyed e-mail correspondences to conceal his actions and argued that it could easily be ascertained on the server of the Weizmann Institute's computer unit whether this had, indeed, occurred.
Thousands in compensation
Later, Zohar contacted the institute's legal adviser, Attorney Ruta Cohen, of the offices of S. Horowitz, and the parties reached an agreement. Chet would not live on the Weizmann Institute campus and would not have access to a research lab there, and the institute would pay him compensation for waiving his right to live on the campus and to a lab. The two parties have kept confidential the details of the agreement, but according to Weizmann Institute sources, the compensation amounts to at least several tens of thousands of dollars.
Chet believes he has suffered serious injustice. He declined to respond to Haaretz's requests, but Haaretz did receive a letter, which presents his complaints. The letter is written in a bombastic style, which is not typical of the former president, say some Weizmann Institute sources. It contains phrases such as "witch hunt," "McCarthyism," "incorrect facts," "duplicitous employees," "frightened and pressured workers," "a bunch of hypocrites who watch the show and cluck their tongues," "foul odors reeking from the garbage pile of lies in this libel."
Chet refused to answer whether he wrote the letter or if it was sent in his name. A few days after the new president assumed his post, Chet left for a sabbatical at an elite American university.
The Weizmann Institute gave this response: "Around the end of the term of Weizmann Institute president, Chet, questions arose relating to consulting agreements with external bodies. The institute's administration saw fit to verify the facts as they are and, to that end, appoint members of these institutions to review the matter.
At no point was there a suspicion raised that his actions constituted a violation of the law. While the institute was conducting its inquiries, Chet decided to leave the institute to return to conducting research. It should be noted that according to the institute's procedures, a scientist here is permitted to consult for a fee equivalent to one day a week.
With regard to the matter of housing: Chet was entitled after his departure from the post of president to live in a university apartment, by virtue of his status of 'an institute professor,' which every departing president receives. A special committee found an apartment for him. The apartment found for him will now serve another institute employee."
The offices of Chet's attorney, Eli Zohar, did not respond to Haaretz's request for a comment.
Source: Yossi Melman. The president has left the building. Haartez.com (15 December 2006) [FullText]
Also see:
Rehovot Wants Weizmann Institute to Pay Local Taxes
MyRehovot Reader Responds to "Weizmann Institute Threatens Employee With a Dismissal for Bearing Magen David Patch"
Rehovot's Weizmann Institute Has Become A Luxury Housing
Constructor
Rehovot Woman is a Biomedical Science Star
Is Weizmann Institute the Best International Placeto Work for Academics?
US National Academy of Sciences Member Rehovot's Michael Sela Says Weizmann Scientists Have Bad Ethics
Does Rehovot's Weizmann Institute Professor Lie in The Major Science Publication, PNAS USA?
Rehovot Scientist Teaches Global Neuroscience Community on Open Access at the Major Congress of Neurosciences
"Around two months ago, the president of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Ilan Chet, flew with his wife to New York to attend a special evening at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was supposed to be a farewell tribute to him ahead of the end of his term, and was part of the annual event organized by the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. But a surprise awaited Chet upon his arrival in New York. The executive vice president of the American Committee, Martin Kraar, advised him not to attend the event - because he was not permitted to do so.
This humiliating incident was the climax of an episode that has embarrassed one of Israel's most prestigious institutions for several months. The circumstances surrounding Chet's departure from his post at the beginning of the month have become the talk of the institute's green, tranquil grounds in Rehovot. At the heart of the episode are charges of inappropriate behavior on the part of the departing president, focusing on private work he did, ostensibly without authorization, for an American company.
Chet, 67, was selected as the Weizmann Institute's ninth president five years ago. Some of his predecessors include the first president of the State of Israel, Dr. Chaim Weizmann (for whom the institute was named); Prof. Ephraim Katzir, who also served as president of Israel, and a series of such distinguished scientists as Prof. Israel Dostrovsky, one of the heads of Israel's nuclear program, and Prof. Albert Sabin, who developed the polio vaccine.
Chet is considered a world-renowned expert and research pioneer in the biological control of plant disease, concentrating on the use of environmentally friendly microorganisms to decrease the need for pesticides.
He was born in Haifa in 1939 and studied at Hebrew University's agriculture department, where he served as a tenured professor and vice president and was awarded numerous prizes for his research. The prizes he received include the Rothschild Prize for Agriculture (1990), the Israel Prize (1996), the Wolf Prize (1998) and others. He holds 30 patents for his research and inventions. As president of the Weizmann Institute, he enjoyed very comfortable conditions. There was nothing unusual about this. Weizmann Institute presidents receive an official residence in an on-campus villa, an expense account, numerous trips abroad to promote institute affairs, a car, and a salary that rivals the highest in Israeli academia. In addition to his salary, Chet also received a pension from the Hebrew University.
Chet, according to colleagues and Weizmann Institute officials, was not considered a particularly successful manager. Therefore, the leaders of the institute decided after three and a half years to search for a replacement. After interviewing several candidates, the search committee selected Prof. Daniel Zajfman, 47, a physicist who took up the post around two weeks ago.
'A lame duck'
The appointment of a search committee naturally angered Chet, who viewed it as his ouster. He became, as he said to his friends, "a lame duck." Of the eight presidents who preceded him, four served for periods of eight to 18 years; and four served shorter terms of two or three years, but they left of their own accord.
During the last year and a half of his tenure, he functioned as usual, but his mind was already occupied with his departure. He chose a house where he was to live following his departure and started renovating it. According to the terms of their employment, professors at the Weizmann Institute are entitled to housing on the beautiful campus until they retire at the age of 65. Then they move to an apartment off the campus of the Weizmann Institute, which pays their rent for another three years. Weizmann Institute presidents are entitled to live on the campus, in an apartment owned by the institute until they turn 80.
As renovations on his residence neared completion, Chet reached the conclusion that the apartment did not suit his needs and decided to move into another. He paid for the cost of the renovations in the first apartment out of pocket. At the same time, in September of this year, the Weizmann Institute's leaders received complaints that their president was providing paid consulting services to an American company that deals in intellectual property rights - and opened an investigation into him. According to the complaints, he received $5,000 a month for his consulting services. The complaints came from employees in his office. There were also charges that Chet concealed computer correspondences.
As a result of the complaints, Moroz, the chairman of the Weizmann Institute's board of governors, summoned Chet to a meeting abroad and charged him with doing private work contrary to guidelines and regulations. According to the institute's rules, any professor may do private work outside the institute for the equivalent of one day a week, provided he obtains the consent of his superiors. Chet denied the accusations against him, but the chairman was not convinced and notified him of the decision to appoint an oversight committee. Attorney Avraham Ben-Naftali, the chairman of the institute's executive committee, was appointed to head the oversight committee.
Attorney Ben Naftali and the oversight committee members were unable to find evidence for the claim that Chet committed criminal violations that should be presented to external bodies, or to the police for investigation. However, committee members felt that the president of the Weizmann Institute violated its rules by not asking for the required permits to undertake private consulting work. Therefore they found his actions to be ethically flawed. "As president of the institute, he should have served as a personal example and exercised extreme caution in all cases," stressed one committee member who asked to remain anonymous. A report on the committee's findings was submitted to the executive committee members.
When he realized that an oversight committee had been formed, Chet approached Attorney Eli Zohar and asked him to represent him. Zohar advised him not to agree to the formation of the committee and not to cooperate with it.
He also asked Chet to write his version of events, in which he vehemently denied the charges against him and argued that he did not engage in any consulting work and that all of his actions were in accordance with the laws and regulations. He also denied the charge that he destroyed e-mail correspondences to conceal his actions and argued that it could easily be ascertained on the server of the Weizmann Institute's computer unit whether this had, indeed, occurred.
Thousands in compensation
Later, Zohar contacted the institute's legal adviser, Attorney Ruta Cohen, of the offices of S. Horowitz, and the parties reached an agreement. Chet would not live on the Weizmann Institute campus and would not have access to a research lab there, and the institute would pay him compensation for waiving his right to live on the campus and to a lab. The two parties have kept confidential the details of the agreement, but according to Weizmann Institute sources, the compensation amounts to at least several tens of thousands of dollars.
Chet believes he has suffered serious injustice. He declined to respond to Haaretz's requests, but Haaretz did receive a letter, which presents his complaints. The letter is written in a bombastic style, which is not typical of the former president, say some Weizmann Institute sources. It contains phrases such as "witch hunt," "McCarthyism," "incorrect facts," "duplicitous employees," "frightened and pressured workers," "a bunch of hypocrites who watch the show and cluck their tongues," "foul odors reeking from the garbage pile of lies in this libel."
Chet refused to answer whether he wrote the letter or if it was sent in his name. A few days after the new president assumed his post, Chet left for a sabbatical at an elite American university.
The Weizmann Institute gave this response: "Around the end of the term of Weizmann Institute president, Chet, questions arose relating to consulting agreements with external bodies. The institute's administration saw fit to verify the facts as they are and, to that end, appoint members of these institutions to review the matter.
At no point was there a suspicion raised that his actions constituted a violation of the law. While the institute was conducting its inquiries, Chet decided to leave the institute to return to conducting research. It should be noted that according to the institute's procedures, a scientist here is permitted to consult for a fee equivalent to one day a week.
With regard to the matter of housing: Chet was entitled after his departure from the post of president to live in a university apartment, by virtue of his status of 'an institute professor,' which every departing president receives. A special committee found an apartment for him. The apartment found for him will now serve another institute employee."
The offices of Chet's attorney, Eli Zohar, did not respond to Haaretz's request for a comment.
Source: Yossi Melman. The president has left the building. Haartez.com (15 December 2006) [FullText]
Also see:
Rehovot Wants Weizmann Institute to Pay Local Taxes
MyRehovot Reader Responds to "Weizmann Institute Threatens Employee With a Dismissal for Bearing Magen David Patch"
Rehovot's Weizmann Institute Has Become A Luxury Housing
Constructor
Rehovot Woman is a Biomedical Science Star
Is Weizmann Institute the Best International Placeto Work for Academics?
US National Academy of Sciences Member Rehovot's Michael Sela Says Weizmann Scientists Have Bad Ethics
Does Rehovot's Weizmann Institute Professor Lie in The Major Science Publication, PNAS USA?
Rehovot Scientist Teaches Global Neuroscience Community on Open Access at the Major Congress of Neurosciences
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