Philanthropist Alex Rovt and His Family Donate Significant Gift to Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences

Flatbush Campus Named for Rovt’s parents

Date: November 27, 2018
Dr. Alex Rovt
Dr. Alex Rovt

Real estate investor and international businessman Dr. Alex Rovt and his family made a significant contribution to Touro College, the College announced today. Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Flatbush campus was renamed in memory of Rovt’s parents, Simon and Lenke Roth, A’’H.

“The gift will help sustain and upgrade the facilities at our flagship Brooklyn campus on Avenue J,” said Dr. Alan Kadish, president of the Touro College & University System. “Dr. Rovt’s generosity is greatly appreciated by the college and our students will be the direct beneficiaries of his support and dedication to educating the future leaders of the Jewish community.”

Rovt was born to an observant Jewish family in Mukachevo, Carpathia which is now part of the Ukraine. He attended the Lviv Academy of Commerce in the Ukraine where he graduated with a degree in business, then he moved to Hungary. Later he received a PhD in international economics.

Rovt served on the NYC Board of Corrections as Vice Chairman and is a trustee of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has endowed a school for Orthodox Jewish immigrants, the Zvi Dov Roth Academy in Brooklyn. The school is named after his grandfather who was killed in the Holocaust.

Dr. Rovt is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for One Brooklyn Health Systems, Inc., the healthcare structure comprised of three hospitals, Interfaith Medical Center, Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, and Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Touro College & University System.

“I am honored to dedicate this gift to my parents who had a major religious influence on me and my family, which has continued until today. As they were, I am passionate about education. I also feel strongly about the need to prepare young people for careers that will enable them to support Jewish families,” said Rovt. “Touro has a nearly 50 year history of educating Orthodox Jewish students in an environment that is consistent with their values, while at the same time preparing them to be competitive and succeed in a variety of fields. I believe in supporting the type of programs Touro offers and know that this gift will make a lasting impact on students and their futures.”

The Touro campus in Flatbush is a central hub for the undergraduate program, offering numerous career tracks for students and serving the Jewish community for more than four decades. “Thousands of graduates have been empowered and prepared for success in various professions thanks to the education they received at the Lander College in Flatbush. We are honored that our Ave J campus now carries the Rovt name and greatly appreciate the enhancements to our campus that will be brought about as a result of this generous gift,” noted Dr. Robert Goldschmidt, executive dean of Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences.

About the Touro College and University System   

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has 30 campuses and locations in New York, California, Nevada, Berlin, Jerusalem and Moscow. New York Medical College; Touro University California and Touro University Nevada; Touro University Worldwide and its Touro College Los Angeles division; as well as Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Ill. are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to www.touro.edu/news