Editor’s note: The following message was sent March 1 from Paul Alivisatos, incoming University president, to members of the University community.
I am deeply honored that the Board of Trustees has elected me to serve as the next president of the University of Chicago. This is an exciting opportunity and a special homecoming for me as a graduate of the University of Chicago College — a place that challenged and inspired me as a student, and helped me develop ways of thinking that have shaped my work and my life.
As part of my greeting and expression of gratitude to the University community, I am sharing the video linked here. I wanted to share the profound impact that the University of Chicago made on me as a student, my admiration for the great leaders who have preceded me, and my commitment to working alongside you in meeting the challenges of our time with great ambition, informed by this University’s enduring values and mission.
I am grateful to be entrusted with this responsibility, and I am eager to begin our work together. I look forward to getting to know you over the coming year, as we continue to build upon the University of Chicago’s academic excellence and intellectual rigor, its extensive engagement with the South Side and the City of Chicago, and its capacity for positive impact across academic fields and around the world.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
