<p>U of C has an interesting reputation. I use that word rather than position or prestige. Whether warranted or not, it is looked upon with almost reverential respect and admiration. It almost stands alone in this respect and has little to do with the types of prestige usual discussed in these forums.</p>
<p>As Robert Pippen, the faculty representative on the presidential search committee noted:</p>
<p>“As we traveled… we would ask for what the view form the outside was of The University, and we would hear… The University is the purist of universities, dedicated to research, creation of new knowledge, and education more than any other, that it is a kind of intellectual hothouse, that the value of ideas and the life of the mind mean more here than anywhere else. We heard this so often that I was tempted to ask, ‘So what is you do?’”</p>