Finally had a chance to watch opening Convocation. Both Alivisatos and Boyer really pounded home the value of the Core Curriculum. It’s very heartening to hear their thoughts on this. Also, this is probably Boyer’s best opening talk IMO (and I’ve heard a few of them now).
Alivisatos brought up what he saw as two crucial characteristics of UChicago - a community deeply committed to academic freedom and freedom of expression, and a community that is both diverse and inclusive. He reaffirmed that UChicago is committed to the exchange of ideas, that nothing is off the table, that (he hopes) the debate will be fierce and that all will participate in those lively discussions. The diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences present on campus are invaluable to enriching those conversations. The commitment on the part of all to create a community where everyone feels they belong (ie are treated with respect, friendship, civility, etc) is just as important as having those open, unrestricted conversations. My impressions of the place are pretty consistent with what Alivisatos is talking about. I don’t think he’s throwing around buzzwords. My kids have truly enjoyed their experience there - it’s definitely a place of intellectual growth and transformation - yet it’s also a place where students treat each other with kindness.
One interesting tidbit that Alivisatos shared: as an undergraduate at the College, he loved the liberal education so much that he took as few chem courses as he could get away with and still graduate in the major! When it came time to apply to PhD school, he was wondering whether he should attend a research-intense program with few preparatory courses beforehand, or one that provided a lot of initial classwork. I guess he was a bit worried that he might need to “catch up.” His chem faculty mentor at UChicago basically said “I don’t think you’ve completely understood yet what the University of Chicago has offered to you. You have actually learned not any specific subject; you have learned how to learn anything that human beings know. Any part of human knowledge is now accessible to you with what you have learned through your education here.” Alivisatos said that he found there was a kernel of truth to that, he has remembered it through his whole life and that it influenced him enormously in his endeavors after college. He concluded the story by saying: “that is the power of what you will get here.”