Mind and machine

A $50 million gift from Rika Mansueto, AB’91, University trustee and campaign cochair, and Joe Mansueto, AB’78, MBA’80, announced in April, will advance the University’s ambitious vision for artificial intelligence. The gift will launch the Mansueto Faculty of Mind and Machine Challenge, which seeks to generate nearly $200 million to recruit, retain, and support 20 leading scholars who are exemplary in the use of the computational lens of thought. The program will also foster investments in research and education related to the topics of mind and machine.

Campus revitalization

A $50 million gift from David M. Rubenstein, JD’73, Board of Trustees chair and campaign cochair, announced in March, will support the modernization of Ida Noyes Hall, transforming the iconic 1916 building into a dynamic, accessible gathering place for students and the campus community—and a welcoming hub for alumni and visitors—while preserving its historic character. In recognition of Rubenstein’s gift, this new hub for activities will be named the David M. Rubenstein Commons.

Free tuition initiative

In May the University announced an initiative that, starting in Autumn Quarter 2027, will guarantee free tuition for undergraduate students from families that have an annual income of less than $250,000, with typical assets. The College will also provide free tuition, housing, and meals and waive other fees for students from families with an annual income of less than $125,000, with typical assets. The University currently provides undergraduate students with more than $225 million in annual financial aid—a figure that has doubled since 2011.

Physical Sciences leader

Ka Yee C. Lee has been appointed dean of the Physical Sciences Division, following two years as interim dean. The David Lee Shillinglaw Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the James Franck Institute, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and the College, Lee served as University provost from 2020 to 2023. As interim dean she helped recruit nearly two dozen new faculty, foster new master’s degree programs, and double fundraising for the division.

A new term for Green

Seth Green has been reappointed as dean of the University of Chicago’s Graham School for a second five-year term. In his first term he helped launch the Leadership and Society Initiative, which allows accomplished individuals to explore possibilities for the next chapter of their lives and careers. During his tenure, the Graham School has expanded both the Master of Liberal Arts and the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults while also offering new courses on timely issues such as climate change and democracy and disinformation.

Medical leader

UChicago Medicine has appointed Krista Curell as president of the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she will lead day-to-day operations and strategy for the health system. Curell, who also continues to serve in her prior positions as president of UChicago Medicine Crown Point and executive vice president and system chief operating officer, will oversee more than 14,000 employees and 2,400 clinicians across UChicago Medicine’s hospitals, clinics, and physician practices in Chicago, its suburbs, and northwest Indiana.

Bay Area partnership

In March the University of Chicago, with seven other leading Midwestern universities, announced the launch of Third Coast Foundry, a San Francisco–based hub designed to strengthen the collective presence of Midwest research institutions in one of the world’s most active venture capital ecosystems. Together the participating institutions represent nearly $10 billion in annual research investment and more than 300,000 students. The initiative creates a shared base in the Bay Area where partner universities can support venture engagement and cross-institutional collaboration for university start-ups, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

Early-career recognition

Eight University of Chicago scholars have earned Sloan Research Fellowships, which recognize early-career scholars’ potential to make substantial contributions to their fields: Chibueze Amanchukwu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Aloni Cohen, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and the Data Science Institute; Peter Maurer, associate professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Jack Mountjoy, AM’14, PhD’18, associate professor of economics and Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar at Chicago Booth; Christina Patterson, associate professor of economics and Robert King Steel Faculty Fellow at Chicago Booth; Shaoda Wang, assistant professor at Harris Public Policy; Anna Wuttig, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry; and Zoe Yan, assistant professor in physics and the James Franck Institute.

Gates Cambridge Scholar

Prithi Srinivasan, SB’26, has been named a 2026 Gates Cambridge Scholar and will pursue a PhD in cell biology at the University of Cambridge this fall. She is one of just 26 students in the United States to earn the award, which aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. At Cambridge she will study the mechanisms of RNA translocation in cells.