The University of Chicago and the Obama Foundation on Sept. 7 announced a new cohort of University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars, comprising 12 emerging leaders from the Harris School of Public Policy, Booth School of Business, and Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. The program brings together an interdisciplinary group of promising young scholars and empowers them with the education, skills, relationships, and perspectives they need to tackle the most pressing issues facing the South Side of Chicago and communities around the globe. Foundation-led programming will kick off on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
“By fostering deep engagement with communities on Chicago’s South Side and beyond, the University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program is a powerful complement to the intellectual skills that students develop in these graduate programs,” said University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos. “Our students are eager to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges, and this program provides a vital pathway for them to realize that aspiration.”
The newly redesigned program at the University of Chicago will bring together Scholars from across campus who are current students in their final year of study in a master’s program at UChicago’s Booth School of Business, Harris School of Public Policy, or Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. The Scholars will supplement their rigorous UChicago studies with innovative co-curricular programming, engage with partners on the South Side of Chicago, and apply those experiences in communities in Chicago and across the globe.
