Initiatives

CLASS

MEMORIAL

SPECIAL

Memorial Initiatives

Fred Hood
Research Fund

Current Total	285764.9200
Goal	$300,000
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Donors

Upon his sudden and tragic death on December 24, 2008, former classmates and friends of Frederick Hood decided to launch, in his memory, an initiative connected to the Bologna Center, a place he loved and was associated with for so many years.

A core group of Fred's closest friends and compatriots from the Bologna Center convened at his funeral in New York on January 10, 2009 and decided that the best way to commemorate Fred's love for his research, the Bologna Center and the city itself was to create a fund in his memory. The "Frederick Hood Research Fund" supports research activities of PhD and MAIA students at the Bologna Center, contributing towards research costs such as travel to conferences or the purchase of research publications.

The initial goal was to raise $100,000 over a period of five years. In little over a year, pledges exceeded the goal. Moved by the generosity and affection of his friends, Fred's family decided, in December 2009, to add a significant contribution to the Fund by matching the amount pledged at the time, with the aim to perpetuate Fred's memory and reflect his great affection for the Bologna Center. The Family's donation has given a terrific push to the initiative and it has allowed for the Fund to become operative starting in the current academic year.

"The Bologna Center was very much Fred's home for most of the last seven years of his life. My children, Stephen and I are happy to support this initiative, and hope that the Fund will help to keep our beloved Fred's memory alive at the Bologna Center for years to come." - Ms. Maya M. Hood

On the occasion of their Class 15th anniversary celebration in Bologna in 2018, the leaders decided to push the goal further toward $300,000. If this new goal is reached, this will be the most successful Class initiative conducted in such a short timeframe. To date we have raised US$285,765.

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Academic Year 2020

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In January 2020, Ms. Gai Yassin made a research trip to Banjul (The Gambia) to collect crucial data that can only be gathered by traveling on-site. Gai is a MAIA student whose thesis focuses on the livelihoods and household income of the smallholder farmers who supply mangoes to the agro-firm Tropingo Foods. Tropingo Foods is a Gambian-owned agro export-oriented company that processes dried mangoes in The Gambia. The objective of this research project was to study a specific agribusiness model in The Gambia to understand its impact on its smallholder farmers suppliers. The case study was intended to advance understanding of agrobusiness models that strengthen smallholder farms in rural African contexts such as The Gambia, in terms of income and sustainable livelihoods. The support from the Fred Hood Fund allowed Gai the opportunity to interview more than 35 smallholder mango farmers in addition to the CEO of Tropingo Foods; Gunjur Mango Cooperative; Food and Agriculture Organization office in The Gambia; the Startup Incubator Gambia; The World Bank office in The Gambia; and the Ministry of Agriculture in The Gambia.

See all the research projects since 2011

Those who are interested in joining the initiative can click here and make an online contribution or learn more about tax effective giving. The SAIS Europe Development Team is available at sais.eu.development@jhu.edu for any further question you may have and to discuss multi-year commitments. Also, you can get in touch with the class leaders:

Bologna Class of 2003:
• Saverio Grazioli-Venier
• Pete O'Brien
• Headley Butler

Bologna Class of 2004
• Yoshi Funaki
• Lucy Payton

Bologna Classes of 2005 through 2007 and Ph.D students:
• Timo Behr

SAIS Europe - Via Beniamino Andreatta, 3 - 40126 Bologna, Italy
© 2022

SAIS Europe
Via Beniamino Andreatta, 3
40126 Bologna, Italy
© 2022