For the Latke Hamantash Debate, which has been a University tradition since 1946, UChicago faculty members applied the knowledge and tools of their disciplines to resolve this age-old culinary conundrum in an evening of fun and frivolity. Past participants have included Nobel Prize winners and University Presidents.

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In celebration of the University of Chicago's 125th anniversary, this event featured Professor and Director of the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy Ariel Kalil and Professor and former Harris Dean Susan Mayer. Kalil and Mayer co-direct the Behavioral Insights and Parenting (BIP) Lab at Chicago Harris, which applies behavioral science tools to support parental engagement in low-income families. They spoke about their innovative research at the BIP Lab and their efforts to advance knowledge for improving the lives of children around the world.

Daniel Diermeier, Dean, Chicago Harris, Joan Harris, president and past chair, Irving Harris Foundation, and Diana Rauner, president, Ounce of Prevention Fund, participated in an enlightening fireside chat about the important work happening at the Harris School of Public Policy.

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics celebrated its 123rd anniversary together with the 125th anniversary of the founding of the University of Chicago. The Department also celebrated its new home, the William Eckhardt Research Center, a state-of-the-art research building that now houses all members of the Department after more than 50 years of being located in several sites. On November 17 and 18, faculty, researchers, students, staff, alumni, and friends of the Department gathered in the William Eckhardt Research Center for an event that showcased the Department’s history, latest scientific achievements, and vision for the future of Astronomy and Astrophysics.The two-day event featured talks, panels, and a film that celebrated and explored our rich heritage and our bold aspirations for future research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, including: the origin and evolution of the Universe; the search for Earth twins; the most extreme phenomena in the Universe; state-of-the art computing and observing tools; future technologies needed to advance our knowledge; and advances in graduate and undergraduate teaching and public outreach of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and its partners are delighted to present the Clock Symposium. The symposium was open to the public and designed to bring together the world's leading science and security experts to discuss the pressing issues of our time with a special focus on nuclear security and disarmament, climate change, changing energy landscape, and emerging technologies. Recent events such as the Iran nuclear deal and December's international climate negotiations in Paris framed this year's discussions.

The University of Chicago helps lead the country in scientific and technological innovation in part through its management of two US Department of Energy laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and its affiliation with the world renowned Marine Biological Laboratory. In honor of the University’s 125th anniversary, the University and Affiliated Laboratories hosted a program featuring panel discussions relating to the history and future of these collaborations, including current scientific partnerships and discoveries on the horizon.

Watch the webcast. 

Exhibition from Oct 29, 2015 - Jan 1, 2016
Reception: 7 p.m. | Show: 8 p.m. 

In Autumn 2015, The University of Chicago celebrated its 125th Anniversary. In the spirit of commemorating the student-driven arts community on campus, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts hosted an exhibition of old archives and memorabilia from defining arts events and student organizations across the university's history.

An afternoon of programming explored the formation of the Chicago Schools in the social sciences, critical moments that have shaped the division, and what current directions fields are taking to influence the future of the social sciences. The program culminated in the opening reception for an exhibit further exploring the critical moments, people, and ideas that have shaped 125 years of social sciences at UChicago.

Program: 5:00-6:30 p.m.
ROOTS OF INQUIRY & GROWTH OF IDEAS: A Faculty Panel on Discovery in the Social Sciences
Panelists included: James Evans, Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology; Director, Knowledge Lab; Faculty Director, Masters in Computational Social Sciences; Susan Goldin-Meadow, Bearsdley Ruml Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Psychology and Committee on Human Development; James Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, Recipient of the 2000 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics; Tara Zahra, Professor, Department of History, recipient of the 2014 MacArthur Fellowship
Moderator: David Nirenberg, Dean of the Division of the Social Science

Exhibit Opening Reception: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

As the University celebrated its 125th Anniversary, we gathered to honor UChicago veterans past and present with an address by University of Chicago Professor John T. Cacioppo. The program was followed by a reception.

Read more about the event. 

View a slideshow commemorating UChicago veterans over the past 125 years.

Symposium: 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., Regenstein Library, JRL room 122
Reception:  6:00 - 7:00 p.m., The Franke Institute for the Humanities, JRL room 118

What should we understand by the phrase ‘Humanities research'? It names a concept both difficult and crucial for the research university. Humanities research has historically been recognized as “scientific” in some understandings of the term—for example in being defined by an original contribution to knowledge—but not in the narrower sense that applies to, say, physics or biology. Problems of norms and definition have, accordingly, always figured importantly in how we think about this central idea in higher education. Lately, however, new challenges and opportunities seem to call for renewed attention to what we mean when we speak of humanities research. This brief symposium celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Franke Institute for the Humanities by addressing three of them: the integration of the practicing arts into academic disciplines (Bill Brown and Christine Mehring), the new trends toward making the humanities more publicly oriented (Patrick Jagoda and Jacqueline Stewart), and the transformations of scholarship made possible by new technologies (Steven Rings and David Schloen). We will also revisit the question of the relation of humanities scholarship and scientific research as itself a subject of ongoing change in the coming years (Dipesh Chakrabarty and Alison Winter). 

The Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies hosted this celebratory event to commemorate UChicago’s dedication to lifelong learning since its founding in 1890. While recognizing that the Graham School’s roots stem back to the establishment of University Extension 125 years ago, this event was also be forward-looking in focus, imagining the role of lifelong learning in the evolution of the 21st century university. Some discussion centered on Graham’s vision for extending the University’s reach, bridging the educational experience for broader audiences, and continuing to support the tradition of rigorous academic inquiry.

Read more about the event. 

In celebration of the 125th anniversary of the University and the 20th anniversary of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality (CSGS) in 2016, the CSGS, the Office of the President, and the University of Chicago Press hosted Hanna Holborn Gray, former University president and professor of history emeritus. Professor Gray discussed the reissue of More than Lore: Reminiscences of Marion Talbot, originally published in 1936, for which she has written a new foreword.

Civic engagement is critical to the work and mission of the University of Chicago, which has a rich and evolving history on Chicago’s South Side. University faculty, staff, and local community leaders explored how the University’s work with communities has changed over time in four areas of engagement and impact -- education, innovation, research, and anchor -- and what the opportunities are for the future. The panel discussion was followed by small group discussions on what civic engagement can look like moving forward. 

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The Chicago Humanities Festival returned to the University of Chicago campus for a daylong exploration of inquiry and impact featuring an exciting lineup of thought-provoking scholars, writers, and performers.

Emily Teeter, Oriental Institute Research Associate and Special Exhibitions Coordinator, presented a lecture on the history of James Henry Breasted, founder of the Oriental Institute, and the role he played in establishing Chicago’s three great collections of Egyptian antiquities. A reception followed at 8 p.m.

This celebration of the University’s 125th anniversary and the Divinity School’s 150th anniversary began with the John Nuveen lecture at 4:00 p.m., featuring a panel discussion on the history of the Divinity School, followed by a reception with exhibits at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 6:45 p.m., and further reflections about the Divinity School at 8:00 p.m. Speakers included Larry Greenfield (Executive Minister for American Baptist Churches of Metro Chicago, Chair of the Baptist Theological Union, and former Dean of Students at the Divinity School), Martin Marty (Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of the History of Modern Christianity), and Daniel Meyer (University Archivist and Director of the Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library), Wendy Doniger (Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions), and Richard A. Rosengarten (Dean of the Divinity School).

As part of its 2015 reunion, the School of Social Service Administration (SSA) hosted a discussion, readings, and film clips about the Abbott sisters: Grace and Edith Abbott, two of the most important figures in American social welfare practice and education. A panel of scholars and practitioners, joined by John Sorensen, editor of A Sister’s Memories: The Life and Work of Grace Abbott from the Writings of Her Sister, Edith Abbott (University of Chicago Press), focused on the sisters' historic, current, and future impact on immigrant families and children and on women in leadership in the social service professions, as well as SSA’s uniquely foremost role. 

In celebration of the University’s 125th anniversary, Chairman Lien presented a lecture centered on the University’s global reach. He shared his perspective on the University’s presence and influence in the world in years past, today, and in the future. Chairman Lien also remarked on his graduate education at the University, and its influence on his career and later life. Chairman Lien’s extensive political career includes, among other positions, Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 1993-1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996-2000, and Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 2000 to 2005. He now holds the positon of Honorary Chairman of the KMT. A reception followed at 5:30pm. 

Homecoming festivities and programming offered many ways to engage with the University’s history and celebrate the 125th, including opportunities to participate in 125th-themed activities and sport UChicago anniversary gear.

Selected presentations at the annual Humanities Day event highlighted aspects of historical significance within the division while commemorating departmental anniversaries.

A panel of eminent UChicago economists and Nobel laureates—each a part of Chicago economic history himself—shared insiders' perspectives on the unique approach and environment that gave rise to Chicago economics and its lasting impact. Speakers included Eugene Fama, Arnold Harberger, James Heckman, Robert Lucas, Lester Telser, and Lars Peter Hansen moderated.

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This lunchtime panel explored the Law School’s rich history of interdisciplinary study. A panel of renowned professors from the Law faculty–law and economics scholar Omri Ben-Shahar, legal historian Alison LaCroix, and philosopher Martha Nussbaum–discussed how the Law School has pioneered research and teaching that link law with the allied fields of economics, history, and philosophy.

Listen to a recording. 

Lecture Dates: Sep. 29, Sep. 30, Oct. 6, and Oct. 7
The Division of the Humanities welcomed award-winning author Amitav Ghosh to campus for the annual Randy L. and Melvin R. Berlin Family Lectures. Over the course of these four consecutive lectures that will be published by the University of Chicago Press, Ghosh investigated global warming through the lens of fiction, history, and politics. 

Beginning with opening remarks by Provost Eric Isaacs and Marian Bertrand, Chris P. Dialynas Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, Dr. Yunus presented a lecture centered on eradicating global poverty, particularly in an urban context. Presented by Chicago Booth's Social Enterprise Initiative, the Chicago Innovation Exchange, the Institute of Politics, and the Urban Poverty Lab, this program highlighted the University of Chicago’s historical commitment to social enterprise and urban development.

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The launch of the 125th anniversary celebration continued with the Welcome Convocation for incoming graduate students. President Robert J. Zimmer and Sian Beilock, Vice Provost of Academic Initiatives, provided remarks and welcomed incoming students. Panel discussions, information sessions, and a luncheon and social reception on the Midway Plaisance followed.