During April and May, the University will welcome a range of leaders and innovators to Chicago for opportunities to exchange knowledge on a broad spectrum of topics.
The slate of high profile visits includes a discussion with entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates on Tuesday, April 20; a downtown visit by National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins on Saturday, April 24, co-hosted by the University; a conference on academic freedom on May 5 - 7, including literary theorist and critic Stanley Fish; a campus event with members of the Diplomatic Corps and their spouses from across the world on May 14; and a student-led conference on modern China, with speakers including alumnus and Chief Economist of the World Bank Justin Yifu Lin, scheduled for Saturday, May 15.
For decades, the University of Chicago has been a destination for visionaries in the fields of business, politics and public service to visit and share their expertise and experiences with campus audiences. Many of the prominent University events this spring will encourage interaction between faculty, students and visiting leaders.
- Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will discuss global challenges in a 7:15 p.m. presentation Tuesday, April 20, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The former head of Microsoft Corp. will talk about the philanthropic work of the Gates foundation, which focuses on lifting people out of poverty, hunger and poor health. Gates' talk, titled "Giving Back: Finding the Best Way to Make a Difference," is part of a three-day university tour that includes stops in California and Massachusetts. More information about the Gates visit and admission to the public talk can be found at: http://www.uchicago.edu/gatesvisit/
- Collins, who was named last summer by President Obama to head the NIH, will visit Chicago at the invitation of university leaders from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Northwestern University and UChicago. Collins will speak at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 24, in Thorne Auditorium on Northwestern University's Chicago campus at 375 E. Chicago Ave. Collins, a physician and scientist known for making landmark genetic discoveries and successfully leading the Human Genome Project, will speak about his vision for the NIH and share his thoughts on new scientific frontiers. Seating is limited at this free event; online reservations may be made at http://research.uic.edu/NIHCollins.html.
- A conference on academic freedom, scheduled for Wednesday, May 5 to Friday, May 7, will feature scholars who have developed arguments on academic freedom, including President Zimmer, Professor Geoffrey Stone, Professor Richard Shweder, and keynote speaker literary critic Stanley Fish, former dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The conference will offer a series of conversations about the principles of academic freedom and how it pervades higher education, from the admissions process and university investments to campus journalism and international students. Journalists with the Chronicle of Higher Education will participate, including Peter Schmidt, the publication's academic freedom reporter, who will interview Zimmer. Please revisit the News Office website for further details on the upcoming academic freedom conference.
- A group of Chiefs of Diplomatic Missions and their spouses, who will be visiting Chicago Wednesday, May 12 - Friday, May 14 as part of the U.S. State Department's "Experience America-Chicago" tour, will join President Zimmer, Dean of the College John Boyer, and a select group of faculty members and students for breakfast in the Charles M. Harper Center on Friday, May 14. Highlights of the Diplomatic Corps' tour include Chicago's business and urban redevelopment, local government initiatives, centers of innovation and research institutions. The UChicago breakfast will allow the diplomats a chance to learn about American culture and community. Political scientist Cathy Cohen, Deputy Provost for Graduate Education, will close the event with her remarks. Experience America is designed to foster international goodwill and provide a greater understanding of American customs and culture.
- Members of the student-run Chicago Society, Culture and Career Club, and Moneythink, have invited Lin, Chief Economist of the World Bank and Founder and Director of the China Center for Economic Research, to speak at a daylong conference, titled "China and the Future of the Global Economy," on Saturday, May 15. President Zimmer will join students in welcoming Lin, PhD'86, who will deliver the keynote address. The conference, scheduled to convene at 9:30 a.m. in Assembly Hall at International House, has been designed to develop a broader understanding of China's rapid social, economic and political transformations as well as its role in the post-crisis global economy. More information is available by visiting: http://globalchinaconference.org.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
