The Center for African Studies announced a new $1 million grant from the Mad Rose Foundation that will provide funding for the creation and support of study abroad programs in Africa. The Mad Rose Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Neal Rosenthal, founder of Rosenthal Wine Merchant and the Mad Rose Group, and a proud Rutgers alum (Class of ’67).
Acting Director for the Center for African Studies (CAS) Bode Ibironke announced the news this summer, thanking Professor of History Barbara Cooper for initially connecting with Mr. Rosenthal and inspiring the donation, as well as SAS Director of Development Allison Klein, Director of the Center for African Studies Genese Sodikoff, and members of the Executive Committee.
Vice President for Global Affairs Eric Garfunkel said, “This significant gift from Neal Rosenthal will be incredibly impactful to our efforts to increase student mobility by creating a new support mechanism for any Rutgers student to participate in short-term study abroad programs in Africa.” He added, “We are always trying to enlarge the global footprint of Rutgers University and one of the best ways to do this is by offering innovative and inspiring study abroad programs for our students.”
Sodikoff added: “Neal Rosenthal’s gift is already generating a lot of enthusiasm in our faculty. It provides an incredible opportunity for our students to have experiences and forge connections in Africa that can change their lives.”
The impetus for the grant began during a conversation between Mr. Rosenthal and Professor Cooper, who is a historian of French-speaking Africa, when they spoke about a new program Cooper was developing in the country of Benin. The program, which the Mad Rose Foundation supported, was ultimately launched in the summer of 2022 called History, Memory, and Culture in Benin, and provided the opportunity for students to spend two weeks in Benin based at one of Rutgers’ sister institutions, the Ecole du Patrimoine Africaine, in order to explore how trans-Atlantic connections have shaped religion, language, and identity; the relationship between tourism and historical memory; as well as the dynamism of the contemporary art scene.
In response to the news of the Center for African Studies grant, Cooper remarked, “We are so grateful to Neal for his generous gift, which will allow students from Rutgers to experience the various countries and cultures of Africa by participating in faculty-led study abroad programs that will expand their horizons and prepare them to be global citizens.”
Neal Rosenthal graduated from Rutgers in 1967 and has been a strong supporter of various Rutgers initiatives through the years. He founded Rosenthal Wine Merchant in 1977, an importer and distributor of limited production, estate-bottled wines from Western Europe. The company has since expanded into the Mad Rose Group, which includes Mad Rose Specialty Foods and Mad Rose Journeys. Rosenthal created the Mad Rose Foundation with his wife Kerry Madigan in 2006 to support education, free speech initiatives, and programs to help the environment. He is the author of “Reflections of a Wine Merchant” (FSG, 2008), and was a featured player in the documentary film “Mondovino” which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.
“I am excited by the prospect of working with The Center for African Studies at Rutgers to enhance the already robust engagement of CAS on the African continent, a place that vibrates with energy and hosts a wealth of resources, most particularly an abundance of human capital,” said Rosenthal.
Ibironke noted, “A gift like this from Neal Rosenthal, a loyal member of our Rutgers community, means so much. It is gratifying to have such a generous gift to support the mission of the Center for African Studies and its strong commitment to expanding and enriching connections between Rutgers and Africa.”
Ousseina Alidou, Professor of Linguistics, Gender, and African Studies at Rutgers, added: “Faculty affiliated with The Center for African Studies are grateful to Neal Rosenthal’s family foundation for donating scholarship funds to enable Rutgers University undergraduate students to acquire global competency by enrolling in study abroad programs in diverse African countries. These experiential cross-cultural encounters with African youth on the continent open doors for American youth to develop intercultural friendship and exchange approaches to problem solving and mutual empowerment. An important demographic of Rutgers University students come from underprivileged communities and they will benefit from the generous scholarship from the Mad Rose Foundation.”