The African Studies Centre and the Centre for Caribbean Studies, two long-standing U of T programs, will receive a generous $5-million boost from Richard Rooney (BA 1977 NEW), propelling the vibrant areas of learning and research to a new level of excellence. Both originated at New College, which has long been an incubator of some of the university’s most successful interdisciplinary and social justice-oriented fields of study.
Rooney’s gift is the largest donation ever made to these programs and will help attract world-leading scholars to the university by establishing a new endowed professorship within each of these groundbreaking academic centres, which have helped transform the intellectual life of the university. This donation will also create two prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, energizing the next generation of African Studies and Caribbean Studies scholars. In recognition of the importance of these initiatives, the Faculty of Arts & Science will match Rooney’s gift dollar for dollar, bringing the total investment in the centres to $10 million.
“We are deeply grateful to Richard Rooney for his visionary gift to the University of Toronto,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “This landmark benefaction will further advance U of T’s leadership in African Studies and Caribbean Studies. It is also so well aligned with our global outlook and our commitment to inclusive excellence.”
This landmark benefaction will further advance U of T’s leadership in African Studies and Caribbean Studies. It is also so well aligned with our global outlook and our commitment to inclusive excellence.
Two unique programs, one historic gift
The African Studies Centre, led by director Marieme Lo, is recognized as one of the best undergraduate programs of its kind in North America and as a vibrant social and cultural hub of academic excellence, helping students develop a deeper understanding of African societies, cultures and histories through an interdisciplinary lens.
The Centre for Caribbean Studies, directed by Conrad James, offers the only program in Canada with degrees specifically dedicated to the study of the Caribbean and its people. The centre brings together academics and learners with shared commitments to Caribbean Studies as an area of interdisciplinary focus for research, teaching, learning and community engagement.
“Richard Rooney’s milestone gift will elevate the African Studies Centre and the Centre for Caribbean Studies to new heights as sites of scholarly excellence and transdisciplinary dialogue,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “The research, teaching and collaboration happening at these two centres are indispensable for making sense of the 21st century, providing learners with the tools they need to become engaged citizens, anchored by a rich understanding of the world today.”
The research, teaching and collaboration happening at these two centres are indispensable for making sense of the 21st century, providing learners with the tools they need to become engaged citizens, anchored by a rich understanding of the world today.
Their interdisciplinary nature makes both programs especially relevant as spaces of living inquiry in our current moment, bringing together a wide spectrum of expertise in areas such as history, politics, geography, political economy, literature, development, economics, languages and media studies to offer new frameworks for understanding the complex dynamics that produced the contemporary world — as well as profound lessons in everything from the analysis of systemic racism, migration, climate change and food insecurity, to the legacies of colonialism and nationalism.
“I realized how much I didn’t know about my roots,” said Christina Shivtahal, a third-year student at the Centre for Caribbean Studies, who was born in Guyana and raised in Canada. “This remarkable program prepares students to navigate the world by unlearning colonial modes of thinking, and rediscovering cultural identity and connections to the Caribbean, which is the only way to challenge the status quo. Learning about the tremendous impact the Caribbean has on shaping the global community, both historically and in the contemporary world, is what makes this program stand out.”
“This historic gift is a wonderful recognition of our stellar faculty members, whose long-standing commitment to mentorship and academic excellence is unparalleled,” said Ayan Absiye and Lena Idris, third-year students in African Studies who serve as co-presidents of the African Studies Course Union (ASCU). “We’re grateful for new possibilities to strengthen the tight-knit and vibrant African Studies community and look forward to seeing the centre flourish with graduate offerings for many more generations of scholars and changemakers.”
A deep connection with New College
Richard Rooney, vice-chair and co-founder of Burgundy Asset Management Ltd., studied at New College when he earned his bachelor of arts degree from U of T in 1977. The community-focused spirit of the college has remained a guiding light for Rooney, inspiring his continued association with the university in general, and the college in particular.
“The education I received at New College was a springboard for my success,” Richard Rooney said. “It’s an honour for me to be able to give back to a place that was so pivotal in my life and to support academic programs that can help us imagine a more equitable and just society.”
Rooney’s previous support of the university includes generous contributions to projects like the launch of the New One: Learning Without Borders program for first-year students, the New College’s Principal’s Innovation Fund and the creation of a landscaped plaza that was funded in partnership with the New College Student Council.
It’s an honour for me to be able to give back to a place that was so pivotal in my life and to support academic programs that can help us imagine a more equitable and just society.
He has also been an exemplary volunteer leader, galvanizing fundraising with his service on various committees since 2001 and sharing his professional experience on the Rotman Value Investing Advisory.
“This $5-million gift is just the latest chapter of Richard’s long history with our community,” said New College interim principal Dickson Eyoh. “He has brought tremendous positive impact to New College, supporting academic programs, investing in capital infrastructure, and contributing his time and expertise in service of the college’s priorities.”
A gift that inspires excellence
Since Rooney’s gift is creating endowed professorships and fellowships, it will foster a thriving ecosystem of discovery and innovation within these programs for generations to come. The ongoing support will empower researchers to make scholarly contributions that increase the university’s global impact while enhancing the knowledge-building community locally.
In securing an enduring legacy of intellectual excellence for the African Studies Centre and Centre for Caribbean Studies, Rooney’s gift is contributing to Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto.
“Donors like Richard Rooney make the university’s most ambitious visions a reality,” said David Palmer, vice-president, advancement. “His commitment demonstrates the passion that runs throughout our community of supporters, who believe in the promise of inclusive excellence and make transformative contributions towards realizing it as a lived ideal.”
Defy Gravity is raising the bar for engagement and charitable giving in this country and harnessing the power of U of T’s global community to address some of the most urgent issues of our time, including helping to dismantle barriers and create models for more equitable, diverse and inclusive societies.