Letter from the Dean

Dear Alumni & Friends,

Welcome to Harris Reunion Weekend 2025!

We are delighted to welcome you back to Hyde Park! As you reconnect with classmates, faculty, and friends, I encourage you to reflect—not just on your time at Harris, but on what first brought you here. What questions were you hoping to answer? What impact did you want to make? And how has your Harris education shaped your path? While the challenges society faces may have evolved, the commitment to rigorous inquiry and evidence-based policymaking that guided you remains central to Harris today.

Across disciplines and around the world, our alumni are leading meaningful change. In government, nonprofits, and the private sector, you are applying the tools and principles you honed here to solve complex problems. Meanwhile, today’s Harris students are following in your footsteps, preparing to take on the most pressing issues of our time.

This weekend is a celebration—not only of the friendships and experiences that shaped you but also of the broader Harris mission we share. The programming this weekend offers a glimpse into Harris today and an opportunity to engage with the research and ideas shaping public policy in the years ahead.

We are so glad you’re here and look forward to learning from and with you this weekend.

Sincerely,

Ethan Buena de Mesquita

Ethan Bueno de Mesquita
Dean and Sydney Stein Professor
The University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Schedule of Events

Schedule of Events

Acknowledgements

University of Chicago Aerial View

Harris Council

The Harris Council is the lead advisory group to the Dean and school administrators and is comprised of accomplished professionals with substantial experience in the public, non-profit, and private sectors.

The Council’s contributions range from providing advice and financial support to interacting with students and connecting the work of the Harris School to the world.

Meet the members of the Harris Council

Alumni Council

The Alumni Council seeks to serve as the bridge between the Harris School, our global community of alumni and current students. With members spanning the globe and working across a broad array of sectors, the Alumni Council connects our global alumni base to the Keller Center, and current Harris students to the world.

Meet the members of the Alumni Council

Dean Ethan Buena de Mesquita talking with alumni

Reunion Committees

Thank you to the many alumni who served on their Class Reunion Committees!

Reunion Weekend wouldn’t be possible without your support.

Reunion 2025 Guidebook - 2020

2020
  • Kat Burnham
  • Luis Recalde Ramirez
  • Dipak Bishwokarma
  • Dora Gonzalez
  • Kristine Tjia
  • Caleb Herod
  • Utsav Gandhi
  • Feri Gwata (Co-Chair)
  • James Johnson (Co-Chair)
Harris students at graduation

Gifts to Harris

  • Provide scholarship assistance to students, which allows Harris to attract the best and brightest future policy leaders.
  • Help us retain outstanding faculty and fund their groundbreaking research.
  • Allow us to respond quickly to the needs of our community.
  • Fund crucial financial support for student internships, allowing students to pursue their passions without financial stressors.

Any gift and/or pledge (up to five years) made to Harris during the fiscal year (July 1, 2024 — June 30, 2025) by a class member in a milestone reunion year counts towards their class gift effort. In addition, all corporate matching gifts count.

Direct any questions about making a gift to Nicholas Moore, Interim Director of Development, at njmoore@uchicago.edu.

Reunion Weekend Faculty Speakers

Erin_K Headshot

Erin Kelley

Erin Kelley, Assistant Professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, will discuss her research and scholarly work.

Read Erin Kelley's Bio
James Robinson

James Robinson

James Robinson, University Professor at the Harris School and 2024 Nobel Laureate in Economics, will discuss his research and scholarly work.

Read James Robinson's Bio
Ethan Buena de Mesquita

Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita will share updates on current research priorities at the Harris School of Public Policy.

Read Dean Ethan Bueno de Mesquita's Bio

2025 Alumni Awardee Winners

Three accomplished alumni of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy will be recognized Friday, May 2nd at the Alumni Awards Dinner at Chicago Theological Seminary, part of Harris Reunion Weekend 2025. Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, dean and Sydney Stein Professor, and the Harris Alumni Council Awards Chair Heather George, AM'19, will present Ashlee B. Gabrysch, AB'07, MPP’13, with the CC DuBois Alumni Service Award; John Peller, MPP’00, with the Career Achievement Award; and Roberto Velasco Álvarez, MPP’17, with the Rising Star Award.

Ashlee B. Gabrysch, AB'07, MPP’13

CC DuBois Alumni Service Award

Ashlee B. Gabrysch, AB'07, MPP’13

JRoberto Velasco Álvarez, MPP’17

Rising Star Award

Roberto Velasco Álvarez, MPP’17

John Peller, MPP’00

Career Achievement Award 

John Peller, MPP’00

Harris by the Numbers

Passion alone doesn't create impactful policy; it requires data and measurable results. At the Harris School of Public Policy, we treat policy development as a science. Our faculty and students bring a rigorous, data-driven approach to global policy issues.

Here is a snapshot of Harris at the start of the 2024-25 academic year. 

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Degree Programs
Degree Programs
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Research Centers
Research Centers
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Countries Represented
Countries Represented
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Total Students
Total Students
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Faculty
Faculty