Born in Fall River, MA, Richard M. Rosenberg is a former Chairman and CEO of Bank of America who has also held senior positions with Seattle-First National Bank, Seafirst Corporation, and Wells Fargo Bank. He received his B.S. in journalism from Suffolk University in 1952, and his masters and law degrees from Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Barbara Rosenberg, also a Fall River native, is a 1954 graduate of Brandeis University and has earned an M.A. from Harvard University and a Ph. D. from the University of San Francisco.

In lending their vision and financial support to the creation of the Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies, the Rosenbergs have offered Suffolk University an opportunity to better understand a region of great strategic and economic importance.

“The reason we did it is that too many people on the East Coast, ranging from Washington all the way up to Boston, are so Eurocentric and do not understand that the 21st century belongs to Asia- not that we’re perfect on the West Coast,” Richard Rosenberg says. “So to the extent that Barbara and I can help Suffolk get a better focus on what I believe is the most important aspect of the 21st century, we think we’re doing a good thing.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that the world economy in the 21st century has shifted more to China and India than ever before,” Barbara Rosenberg adds. “We need to learn more about the customs, languages and mindsets of the Asian population.  We hope the Institute offers a more globally balanced presentation of the world.”