University news
Daley’s a distinguished fellow
Former Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley has been appointed a distinguished senior fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. During his five-year appointment, which began July 1, Daley will coordinate ten guest lectures, inviting global policy leaders to debate urban issues, such as education, law enforcement, civic planning, and economic development.
Board elects two new trustees
Daniel Doctoroff, JD'84, and Myrtle Stephens Potter, AB'80, have been elected to the University's Board of Trustees. Doctoroff, a former New York City deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding, is the president of Bloomberg, LP. Potter runs the life-sciences and health-care consulting firm Myrtle Potter and Company LLC and Myrtle Potter Media Inc., a consumer health-care company.
Goolsbee goes back to class
Austan Goolsbee returns to the Chicago Booth faculty this fall after stepping down in June as chair of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Goolsbee, the Robert P. Gwinn professor of economics, taught microeconomics, strategy in the information economy, and the economics and policy of the telecom, media, and technology industries at Chicago for 14 years before joining the Obama administration.
Where art and inquiry intersect
Richard and Mary L. Gray, AM'78, say they "could not survive" without the arts. The Richard and Mary L. Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry, named in recognition of the couple's $5 million gift to the University, will foster artistic and academic collaborations at the University. A four-year, $1.35 million Andrew W. Mellon Foundation fellowship grant will support the center's programs and will bring visiting artists, such as playwright Tony Kushner, to campus for up to three months.
Accolades for the teachers
Adam Green, associate professor in American history; Charles Lipson, the Peter B. Ritzma professor in political science and the College; Angela Olinto, professor in astronomy and astrophysics; Mark Osadjan, senior lecturer in the Biological Sciences Division; and Valentina Pichugin, senior lecturer in Slavic languages and literatures, have received the 2011 Quantrell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Clarke's to open, never close
Clarke's, a 24-hour diner with several Chicago-area locations, will open late this fall on 53rd Street in Hyde Park. The 4,000-square-foot restaurant will be in a University-owned building at 1451 East 53rd Street. In January Five Guys Burgers and Fries announced that it will become the inaugural tenant of the University's office and theater buildings at 53rd Street and Harper Avenue.
A hall of fame cop
As part of his induction into the Chicago Senior Citizen Hall of Fame, Rudy Nimocks received the organization's inaugural Richard M. Daley government service award. Nimocks, the University's longtime police chief and current director of community partnerships, rose to the rank of deputy superintendent during a 32-year career on the city's police force before joining the University.
Nelson graduates to new role
Deborah Nelson begins a three-year term as deputy provost for graduate education on September 1. Associate professor in English language and literature and in the College, Nelson will develop and implement policies related to graduate education, financial aid, and student life. Nelson succeeds political-science professor Cathy J. Cohen, the inaugural deputy provost for graduate education, who will return to the full-time faculty.
Albert Liebman, 88, AB'11
More than 70 years after he arrived at the University, Albert Liebman received his bachelor's degree with the Class of 2011 at the June Convocation. Liebman, a physician, enrolled in 1939 but enlisted in the Navy during World War II and went on to medical school without completing his undergraduate studies. But this year he learned that his three years at Chicago, plus subsequent zoology coursework at the University of Wisconsin, were enough to qualify for a diploma.
Booth reduces G.I. (tuition) bills
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business has increased its scholarship support for military veterans. Beginning in September, all students who qualify for the US Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon program will receive $10,000 per year from Chicago Booth. The Veterans Administration provides up to $10,000 in additional funding. Previously the business school offered only nine such awards each year.
Return to 1949 with Fermi
On June 2 two University physicists unveiled the contents of a 1949 time capsule that Nobel-winning physicist Enrico Fermi placed in the cornerstone of the Research Institutes building, which will be torn down and replaced by the William Eckhardt Research Center. The metal box contained items such as a U of C directory; University announcements from May 25, 1948; an architect's sketch of the Research Institutes building; a booklet titled The New Frontier of Industry—Atomic Research; a road map; and train and airline timetables.
Harper Quad gets greener
Harper Quad will have a new look when students return in September. A summer renovation replaces the roadway and sidewalks with a new walkway. The walkway will combine limestone pavers and pervious concrete to make the path more bike and pedestrian friendly. The materials also have environmental benefits: water and snow can drain through the concrete, limiting the need for salt in the winter and reducing the strain on the city's sewer system. At the center of the quad, an expanded grassy area will include new trees, plants, and benches.
Institute links diverse research
A new University institute has been established for collaborative research in quantitative biology, neuroscience, and social and individual behavior. Named in recognition of University Trustee Sanford Grossman's (AB'73, AM'74, PhD'75) service and financial support to the University, the Grossman Institute for Quantitative Biology and Human Behavior will have eight to ten new faculty members, including a director.
Rewarding student research
Physics graduate students Samuel Gralla, SM'06, and Imai Jen-La Plante, SM'06, have received the University's 2011 Sugarman Awards for student research. Gralla was honored for "contributions to our understanding of the motion of small bodies and black holes in general relativity, taking into account the forces that these bodies exert upon themselves." Jen-La Plante received the award "for the first measurement at the Large Hadron Collider of the production of W-bosons in association with quarks and gluons."
An educational gift
A $2.5 million gift from the Pritzker Family Foundation supports the Urban Education Institute's school-improvement efforts. The gift, from the foundation's Education Innovation Fund, will help the UEI continue to research and implement its literary-assessment tools, college-preparation programs, and strategies for successful schools.
Richards wins second Laing Prize
Robert Richards, PhD'78, received the University of Chicago Press's Gordon J. Laing Prize for the second time, winning this year for his book The Tragic Sense of Life: Ernst Haeckel and the Struggle Over Evolutionary Thought (2008). Richards, the Morris Fishbein professor of the history of science, also received the Laing Prize for his 2002 book The Romantic Conception of Life: Science and Philosophy in the Age of Goethe.
Social safety net(work)
A new School of Social Service Administration program combines research across disciplines to address issues such as poverty, violence, homelessness, and mental illness. The Interdisciplinary Scholar Networks will launch two initiatives in the coming year—the STI and HIV Intervention Network and the Employment Instability, Family Well-Being, and Social Policy Network.