Gift from Robert Rothman, ’77, to Support the London Campus and Global Faculty in Residence Program

Booth has been in London since 2005, and moved to its current space in Barts Square in 2020. It is the first US business school with campuses on three continents (Asia, Europe, and North America). The school’s new campus underscores the importance of Booth’s presence in London and facilitates enhanced opportunities for the school to expand its impact across the region. It is home to Booth’s Executive MBA Program London and Executive Education courses, and it provides a state-of-the-art location for events and education within one of the world’s leading centers of banking, finance, and tech.

Rothman’s gift will also name and support the new Global Faculty in Residence Program in London, which will allow a senior faculty member to spend one to three quarters at the London Campus. The program’s primary goal is to strengthen and broaden Booth’s visibility in London and across EMEA.

Raghuram G. Rajan will be the inaugural Global Faculty in Residence in London during Spring Quarter 2023. Rajan is the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at Chicago Booth. He was the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 2013 to 2016. Rajan was also the chief economist and director of research at the International Monetary Fund from 2003 to 2006.

Anil Kashyap will be the second Global Faculty in Residence, in the fall of 2023. Kashyap is the Stevens Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Finance at Chicago Booth. He is also a consultant for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. From 2016 to 2022, Kashyap was an external member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee.

“Bob has been a dedicated supporter of the school throughout the years in so many ways,” said Madhav Rajan, Chicago Booth Dean and the George Pratt Shultz Professor of Accounting. “We are incredibly grateful for his investment, which will strengthen Booth’s presence in EMEA, and are delighted to recognize his generosity with the naming of our London campus.”

Rothman previously supported the school’s Hyde Park campus, where the Rothman Winter Garden at Charles M. Harper Center was named in his honor. In addition, he created and endowed the Rothman Family Professorship Fund. He also gives his time to the school, serving on the Council on Chicago Booth since 1999.

In 1999, after 20-plus years of success in the insurance business, Rothman retired. That retirement lasted about six weeks as he quickly grew bored and went on to launch the Black Diamond Group, a family-run private investment company that includes both his son Michael, ’12, and his son-in-law.

“After my mother died when I was 7, my father changed careers to work for the City of New York to better provide for my brother and me,” Rothman said. “He never passed up an opportunity to tell me how important it is to get a good education, and I did. To me, the University of Chicago stands for true freedom of expression. It’s a real beacon for diversity of thought—a place where the best idea wins.”

Prior to entering the business field, Rothman wanted to become a doctor, and he still has an interest in medicine and research. Since 2000, he has been on the board of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, advancing their mission of contributing to the prevention and cure of cancer and affirming his belief in the importance of philanthropy.

“I remember looking up at the ceiling of Rockefeller Chapel when I first came to campus and thinking someone before me made this all possible,” he said. “If we’re able, we should spend some part of our life helping others, and investing in education is a way to give individuals their best opportunity.”