10 Harris Events That Shaped Our Thinking in 2022

This is the first in our 2022 Year in Review series of lists that spotlights the top Harris news, accomplishments, and perspectives from across our community. 2022 has been a year of change and transition – with an eye toward new levels of engagement and impact. Here are some of the Keller events that shaped our thinking in 2022:

Ed Yong receives the Benton Award

The Benton Award this year was bestowed upon someone who did an exemplary job communicating complex issues to the public. Science writer Ed Yong’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work for The Atlantic helped the world grapple with the realities and uncertainty of the truly novel coronavirus, COVID-19, as well as the unique difficulties of Long COVID, is richly deserving of the honor.

Dean Katherine Baicker presented the award to Yong on November 1 at the Keller Center.

Ali Zaidi, Climate, and Keller

National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi — who was at the Keller Center on October 24 — struck a hopeful tone as he outlined steps to tackle the climate crisis, stressing that this is “the decisive decade to do that work.”

Zaidi’s call to action came during his hourlong “Clean Energy for All” fireside chat with Dean Baicker. The event, which packed the Harris Family Foundation Forum, was held in partnership with the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC).

Black History Month and the Kent Lecture

In 2022, the Black History Month programming focused on the role of social movements in the United States – past, present, and future. Jelani Cobb, Valerie Jarrett, Eddie Glaude Jr., and the Rev. Otis Moss III shared their wisdom with Harris audiences, and the author of Caste, Isabel Wilkerson, joined to discuss why Americans may have a caste system that goes unchecked and unrecognized.

Later, Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz – and an award-winning writer in her own right – came to Harris for the annual Kent Lecture, which focused on creating “a society that works for everyone.”

Chris Blattman Explains Why We Fight

On the heels of the April 2022 publication of his book Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace, Professor Christopher Blattman made sure to explain the book’s thesis to the Harris community.

Whether it was a part of a fireside chat at the Rubinstein Forum or in New York City, a lecture during reunion weekend, or a panel discussion with the Heartland Alliance, the Harris community was fascinated to learn why fighting is so costly, whether across the globe or right here in Chicago.

A Guest from the NBA

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, JD’88, returned to the University of Chicago on March 22 to discuss the complicated intersection of sports and policy and the balancing acts it takes to “navigate these very difficult times.”

During the lunch-hour conversation, Deans Katherine Baicker of Harris and Thomas J. Miles of the Law School spoke with Silver about sports and policy, the role sports plays amid cultural upheaval, and what lessons from the University of Chicago Silver still carries with him.

The 2022 Midterms: What Happened and What Lies Ahead

Did democracy prevail, or did it suffer, during the 2022 midterm elections in the US? That was the discussion topic at Harris’ event with the Institute of Politics at the Old Post Office in Chicago, where panelists discussed and debated the broader implications of the 2022 elections, including Democrats’ decisions to prop up more extreme Republican candidates, in the first election since the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Convocation: Fully In Person

The 536th Convocation of the University of Chicago took place on June 4, 2022, and the Harris Ceremony took place the following day on the Quad. After two years of prerecorded videos, graduates and their families were able to hear from Kelly Saulsberry, Dean Baicker, and each other in person.

“As you bring the brainy, questioning UChicago style to your future endeavors, I’m confident that you’ll also bring the heart of the engaged University of Chicago, as well,” said UChicago President Paul Alivisatos.

NAPP @ NASPAA

Since its inception, Not Another Politics Podcast has engaged in discussions of academic papers that go to the core of the most discussed topics in political science and politics, and in 2022, our hosts took the show on the road, to the NASPAA conference in Chicago, to discuss a landmark paper, “U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies: An Exploration” by Richard Fenno.

Listen to Not Another Politics Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Reunion

 

Harris Connect 2022 (which has been renamed as Reunion Weekend beginning in 2023) was a rousing success. Fully in-person for the first time since 2019, the reunion saw the Keller Center brimming with activity, with awards at the David Rubinstein Forum, cocktail classes, and more as opportunities for alums from around the world to reconnect with each other and reengage with Harris.