Harris Reunion Weekend 2026

Thursday, April 30

Alumni Awards Dinner and Presentation

6:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Builders Bldg | 222 N LaSalle Street #1, Chicago, IL 60601

Join us to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2026 Harris Alumni Award winners. More information about each of the awards being conferred can be found here.

Friday, May 1

Lunch and Learn

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM | The Newberry Library | 60 W Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60610

Join us for a special edition of Up Front featuring Jake Braun, Executive Director of the Cyber Policy Initiative.

Milestone Reunion Celebration 

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM | Aster Hall | 900 N Michigan Avenue, Level 5, Chicago, IL 60611

Join us for a food, drink, and great conversation with all classes celebrating Reunion milestones! This is a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with your classmates in a celebratory atmosphere.

Saturday, May 2

Faculty Topic Talk: How Where You Live, Learn, and Belong Shapes Inequality

This panel will feature Professor Steven Durlauf and Professor Lesley Turner in conversation around inequality. 

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | The Keller Center | 1307 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637

This panel will feature Professor Steven Durlauf and Professor Lesley Turner in conversation around inequality. 

Faculty Topic Talk featuring Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, Dean of the Harris School of Public Policy, will be joined in conversation by Harris Faculty members. 

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM The Keller Center | 1307 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637

Picnic Lunch | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | The Keller Center | 1307 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637

State of the School featuring Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Join the Dean of the Harris School, Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, for a conversation on the state of the Harris School.

1:00 – 1:45 PM | The Keller Center | 1307 E 60th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637       

The Adventure Ahead: Designing the Future of Knowledge 

Join University leadership for a conversation about how the University is advancing the mission of providing a transformative education, launching new fields, and creating knowledge that will propel the world into exciting new chapters of the human adventure.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Mandel Hall | 1131 E. 57^th Street, Chicago, IL, 60637

The Adventure Awaits: A Celebration on the Quad

Gather on the quads to celebrate our entire University community with an evening of food, drink, entertainment, and more. 

3:00 PM – 7:00 PM| Main Quadrangle | 58^th Street and University Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637

Sunday, May 3

Sunday City Tour: Shedd Aquarium

9:00 AM – 6:00 PM | Shedd Aquarium | 1200 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

Dip beneath the water’s surface and look nature in the eye at Shedd Aquarium. From beautiful belugas to colorful clownfish, diving dolphins to spectacular sea dragons, there’s so much to discover.  

Aquarium tour tickets must be picked up during Alumni Weekend check-in/registration. Please stop by the Tours and Information Table in the Ida Noyes Hall lobby when you arrive on campus to collect your ticket. Aquarium tour tickets will be available for pickup during registration hours Thursday–Saturday.  

Adult Ticket: $38.25

Child Ticket: $29.50 for children (ages 4–17)

Sunday City Tour: Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

9:30 AM – 5:30 PM | Griffin Museum of Science and Industry | 5700 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60637

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry offers world-class and uniquely interactive experiences that will inspire the inventive genius in everyone. Along with legacy exhibits like the Coal Mine, the U-505 Submarine, and Science Storms, the museum recently launched exciting new experiences, including the renovated Henry Crown Space Center—home to the awe-inspiring SpaceX Dragon spacecraft—and Griffin Studio, which currently displays Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell. 

Griffin MSI tour tickets must be picked up during Alumni Weekend check-in/registration. Please stop by the Tours and Information Table in the Ida Noyes Hall lobby when you arrive on campus to collect your ticket. Griffin MSI tour tickets will be available for pickup during registration hours Thursday–Saturday.  

Adult Ticket: $17.00

Sunday City Tour: Sunday City Tour: National Museum of Mexican Art

10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | National Museum of Mexican Art | 1852 W 19th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Nuestras Historias (Our Histories) highlights the museum’s permanent collection to showcase the dynamic and diverse stories of Mexican identity in North America. The exhibition presents cultural identity as something that continually evolves across time, regions, and communities, rather than as a static, unchanging entity, and features ancient Mesoamerican and colonial artifacts, modern Mexican art, folk art, and contemporary works from both sides of the US-Mexico border. The vast diversity of Mexican identities demonstrated in these works defies the notion of one linear history and a singular identity. 

Admission is free, but limited spots are available. Please feel welcome to wear your Alumni Weekend badge to the museum for group identification.

Sunday City Tour: Wendella Architecture Boat Tour

10:45 AM – 12:30 PM | Wendella Boat Tours | 400 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Join fellow alumni for an architecture boat tour of Chicago. Be inspired by the captivating visual art of Chicago’s legendary architecture—and learn about the exceptional architects who created this ever-changing, dynamic legacy for all to enjoy and admire. This comprehensive tour will navigate through the heart of the city on all three branches of the Chicago River while your guide tells the story of more than 130 years of innovation in design, style, and technique and why it remains important today. Family-friendly! Refreshments will be available for purchase. 

Attendees are advised to arrive by 10:15 AM, 30 minutes prior to departure time. Please wear your Alumni Weekend badge for group identification.  Additional information regarding ticket pickup will be emailed to registrants closer to the event date.  

Adult Ticket: $34.00

Child Ticket: $15 (ages 4–12) 

Sunday City Tour: DuSable Black History Museum

11:00 AM – 3:30 PM | DuSable Black History Museum | 740 E 56th Pl, Chicago, IL 60637

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center was founded in 1961 by Margaret Burroughs, an educator, artist, and activist who lived in Chicago. This year, the museum celebrates the 65th anniversary of its founding. Enjoy not only permanent exhibits that celebrate and preserve African American history and culture, but also the new multi-installation, Paris in Black: Internationalism and the Black Renaissance. Throughout the museum, you will learn how Paris became a vital crossroads for Black American artists from the 1890s through the mid-20th century. 

For entry, no physical ticket is required, but please wear your Alumni Weekend badge and present it to the ticket takers. Please note that no food, water, or backpacks are permitted in this space.  

Adult Ticket: $13.00

Student Ticket: Free

Class and Affinity Gatherings

Details forthcoming.

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

University of Chicago Preferred Hotel Program

While hotel information for Harris Reunion Weekend 2025 is being updated please check out the University of Chicago's Preferred Hotel Program. The university has partnered with several hotels in Hyde Park and Downtown Chicago to offer discounted rates to alumni. Learn about the University of Chicago Preferred Hotel Program.

Transportation:

• The United States' second-largest transit system can take you around Chicago, to the airports, and UChicago campus. The CTA even has visitor information. (Use Google Maps to navigate your trip on the CTA's L, bus network, and get live updates on travel times.)
• Divvy Bikeshare is an excellent option for rides around the city's Lakefront Trail, or network of bike lanes. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 
• Rideshares like Lyft, Uber, and Curb are excellent options to get around quickly, when transit or driving isn't an option. Available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Chicago is the rail-hub of the nation, and that is reflected in the plentiful options for suburban and regional travel via the Metra train network. Tickets via Metra's Electric District Line are the cheapest and fastest form of travel from Downtown to Hyde Park.
• The University has listed information on parking around campus. 
• The Chicago Transit Authority has information on buses to campus. We recommend taking the Hyde Park Express #2 Bus, the Jackson Park Express #6 Bus, or the U. of Chicago Hospitals Express #192 Bus.

We welcome all guests to the panels and open forums during Harris Reunion Weekend, but we understand that those with young children may want to explore other options. Below are a list of events that might be appealing to you and your little ones.

Note: Alumni and guests should make their own arrangements if they wish to attend the following activities or visit places in Hyde Park.

Activities Within 15 Minutes from Campus:

• Visit the exciting and interactive Museum of Science and Industry.
• Discover the oldest African American History Museum in the country, the DuSable Museum of African American History.
• Have children between the ages of 2-9? Check out the only African American children's museum in the U.S., Bronzeville Children's Museum in South Shore. 
• Take in the best views of Downtown at Promontory Point.
• Learn 10,000 years of human history at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC).
• Have a moment of peace in the Japanese Garden at Jackson Park.
• Bike down Chicago's stunning Lakefront Trail, filled with beaches, cafes, bars, and access to the city's finest cultural institutions.
• Keep the kids active and interested at the Hyde Park Art Center. 
• Grab a bite to eat at some of our favorite cutting-edge culinary establishments like Virtue and classics like Valois. 
• Check out Hyde Park's event site or Hyde Park Downtown's event site for updates on events like the Farmers Market.

Activities Within 30 Minutes from Campus:

Downtown:

• Observe the world-class Lincoln Park Zoo, built right into the heart of Lincoln Park. Also in Lincoln Park is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, take the kids for a last-minute stop before leaving the park.
• Visit the Chicago History Museum to learn about this great city, it's struggles, and it's rise.
• The newest addition to the already stunning Grant Park, features several playgrounds, ice/roller-skating, mini-golf, gardens, a field house, and a climbing wall, Maggie Daley Park has everything for a family day-out, and is nestled within view of Chicago's beautiful skyline.
• Situated next to Maggie Daley is Millennium Park, with the famous Bean, fountains, and Jay Pritzker Pavilion music shows!
• Navy Pier features endless activities for families, from the Chicago Children's Museum, stores, dining, IMAX movies, firework shows, boat tours, rides, and amazing views. Take in the best views at Offshore, a unique bar and restaurant at the end of Navy Pier. 
• For all those little builders, check out the Legoland Discovery Center!
• Some of the world's finest collections of art, history, meet families at Museum Campus. Families can also enjoy both underwater and out-of-this-world experiences, visit the Field Museum, tour the Art Institute of Chicago, gaze at the galaxy at the Alder Planetarium, catch a glimpse of a modern medium in the Museum of Contemporary Photography.
• There are also opportunities for catching a show at the Hunting Bank Pavilion in the revamped Northly Island Park.
• If you're a sports or music fan, check out Soldier Field for football and soccer games, or look for any of the big ticket concerts coming to town!
• The Chicago Children's Theater can keep the kids entertained when you're ready for a break!
• Chicago is famous for its sports. Discover the heart of our sports spirit at the Chicago Sports Museum.
• Want to see the whole city from above, or feeling daring enough to step onto glass over the tallest building in Chicago, check out the Skydeck at the Willis Tower. 
• If the weather is right, check out the Chicago River Walk and even check it out up-close with Urban Kayaks.
• Want to do several big-ticket visits? Check out the Chicago CityPASS for reduced-cost entry to multiple popular venues!

Chinatown:

• Only a short trip from Hyde Park and Downtown are plenty of good eats and beautiful architecture in Chicago's Chinatown. Whether coming to see the unobstructed views of downtown in Ping Tom Memorial Park, checking out the Chinese American Veterans Memorial, taking a photo in front of the Nine Dragon Wall, or stopping by to learn a little bit about the people who built this community, at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago, there is so much to do in Chinatown.
• Chinatown also has both authentic and cutting edge dining, from community staples like MingHin Cuisine, to the packed Happy Lamb Hot Pot, and a global phenomenon, Kung Fu Tea. Also don't sleep on the little old storefronts, Chiu Quon Bakery and Dim Sum is unmatched, and some of the best ramen in the city can be found at Strings Ramen. If you're a connoisseur of dumplings, Qing Xian Yuan has both a pleasant atmosphere and refined delicacies. Lastly, for a modern take on a retro experience, check out Ken Kee Restaurant for dinner!

Getting Around:

• The United States' second-largest transit system can take you around Chicago, to the airports, and UChicago campus. The CTA even has visitor information. (Use Google Maps to navigate your trip on the CTA's L, bus network, and get live updates on travel times.)
• Divvy Bikeshare is an excellent option for rides around the city's Lakefront Trail, or network of bike lanes. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. 
• Rideshares like Lyft, Uber, and Curb are excellent options to get around quickly, when transit or driving isn't an option. Available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
• Chicago is the rail-hub of the nation, and that is reflected in the plentiful options for suburban and regional travel via the Metra train network. Tickets via Metra's Electric District Line are the cheapest and fastest form of travel from Downtown to Hyde Park.