IDI’s debt to its co-founder and longstanding International Chairman, Bernie Marcus, is so great that a suitable memorial can only be envisioned in the context of the plan to build a new home for the Institute in Jerusalem. In the meantime, the Marcus Foundation has kindly listed IDI among suggested beneficiaries for gifts in Bernie’s memory. And so, in response to inquiries from a number of donors, the leadership of the Institute has decided to establish a Marcus Memorial Fund, the proceeds of which will support the work of IDI’s most promising young policy entrepreneurs.
Bernie was famous for his investment in The Home Depot’s human capital, especially its customer-facing “Associates”—front-line employees whose job was to provide outstanding customer service on the basis of reliable home-improvement expertise. Many of these outstanding Associates went on to become store managers and senior executives. It is therefore no coincidence that Bernie was the visionary behind IDI’s strategic decision in 2014 to pivot from reliance on part-time university professors to a cadre of home-grown, full-time policy experts. In Bernie’s view, these young scholars, if given the opportunity, would come to view IDI as their professional home and their primary vehicle for realizing their entrepreneurial ambition to change Israel for the better, compounding IDI’s capacity for impact. Ten years later, the young men and women recruited on the basis of Bernie’s vision form the backbone of IDI’s team of experts.
Investing in the Next Generation of Policy Entrepreneurs: The Marcus Associate Fellows Program at IDI
Looking forward, IDI’s future, and by extension the quality of Israeli democracy, is dependent on our ability to recruit Israel’s brightest young PhDs, train them, and build the next generation of experts dedicated to improving policy on the basis of applied research. There can be no better way to memorialize Bernie’s connection to IDI than by investing in these young men and women. The Marcus Memorial Fund will fund the work of advanced PhD candidates and recent PhD graduates exploring a possible career in policy entrepreneurship and applied research at IDI. Employees selected for this track will be named “Marcus Associates.” Associates will benefit from dedicated training and apprenticeship to the leading public intellectuals and public policy experts in the country. Over time, we expect these young men and women to grow and become public intellectuals in their own right, helping to address the biggest challenges facing Israel as a secure and prosperous democracy. Some will remain applied researchers at IDI, going on to become Program and Center Directors or Senior Research Fellows. Others will go onto a career in academia or in government. All will benefit immeasurably from the years spent at IDI preparing for a career in public life.
Supporting the Vision: How to Contribute
“Marcus Associates” will be handpicked by IDI management for their talent and growth potential. The selection process will emphasize academic excellence, passion for the real-world applications of knowledge, and viewpoint diversity, with the aim of enriching the life of the Institute and the Israeli marketplace of ideas with fresh insights from a variety of cultural, ideological and methodological perspectives. Associates will be given a three-year contract at an average annual cost of $60,000 per associate, encompassing salary, benefits, professional training and travel. The scope of the program will depend on the funds contributed. Ultimately, we envision five “Marcus Associates” in residence at IDI at any given moment, at a total annual cost of $300,000. We welcome all contributions, large and small, in Bernie’s memory.
Contribute to the Memorial Fund
