The University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees has extended Paul Alivisatos’s term as president of the University through June 2030.
In a Sept. 24 message to the UChicago community, Board of Trustees Chair David M. Rubenstein and Vice Chairs Barry E. Fields and Kenneth M. Jacobs expressed confidence in Alivisatos’s leadership and noted his “ambition, optimism and clear sense of direction” since becoming UChicago’s 14th president in September 2021.
“Year over year, he has relentlessly advanced the distinct values and traditions that distinguish this university from others. His steadfast and principled leadership has benefited the University tremendously, particularly as it navigates a period marked by both significant challenges and opportunities for higher education.”
The message highlighted Alivisatos’s many accomplishments, including the launch of new interdisciplinary programs such as the Quantum Information Science and Engineering initiative and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth; his leadership in further developing UChicago’s distinctive approach to computation, statistics and AI; the growth of the College and the introduction of the 4+1 program; new graduate and professional programs; the launch of new undergraduate majors; and development of a unified Division of the Arts & Humanities.
The Board members acknowledged UChicago’s record-setting success in fundraising under Alivisatos’s leadership, including landmark gifts in support of free expression and the Forum on Free Inquiry and Expression, faculty scholarship, and innovative education programs. They added that Alivisatos has put UChicago on a solid financial path, stewarding resources to support faculty research and teaching, serve students, and ensure effective and efficient administration.
“We are confident that with Paul’s capable leadership, the University of Chicago will further its role as a beacon for inquiry, discovery and transformative education.”
— Board of Trustees Chair David M. Rubenstein and Vice Chairs Barry E. Fields and Kenneth M. Jacobs, in a message to the UChicago community
“As we look to the future,” the Board members concluded, “we are confident that with Paul’s capable leadership, the University of Chicago will further its role as a beacon for inquiry, discovery and transformative education.”
A pioneering figure in the field of nanoscience, Alivisatos serves as the John D. MacArthur Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the College. He is a 1981 alum of the College and the second UChicago graduate to serve as University president (Edward Levi, PhB’32, JD’35, was the first from 1968-71).
“I am grateful for the Board’s confidence,” Alivisatos said. “This is a community where curiosity runs deep, intellectual aspirations are set high and inquiry is pursued rigorously. Every day, I bring devotion to serving this community as president.”
