University of Chicago's new Center in Paris to be named in honor of revered Dean John Boyer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The University of Chicago's new Center in Paris will be named after 31-year veteran Dean John W. Boyer, the university announced Monday.
The new Paris center is set to open in 2024.
UChicago alumni and parents of U of C students contributed $27 million to recognize Boyer's leadership as Dean of the undergraduate College. In addition to renaming the Paris Center for Boyer in honor of the gift, a new professorship will also be established in Boyer's honor.
Boyer received his master's degree from the U of C in 1969, and his Ph.D. from the university in 1975. He is the Martin A. Ryerson Distinguished Professor of History, and became Dean of the College in 1992 and has now served in the role for 31 years.
At the end of the current academic year, Boyer will step down from the dean role and transition to a new role as Senior Adviser to the President. He will also go on teaching undergraduate classes.
As dean, Boyer was instrumental in conceptualizing the U of C's first Center in Paris, which was established in 2003. The original Center in Paris solidified the University of Chicago's role as a regional research and teaching hub in Europe.
The new Center in Paris was designed by architect Jeanne Gang – the same architect who was behind the Aqua Tower, The St. Regis Chicago, and the University of Chicago Campus North Residential Commons, among other local Chicago landmarks. The center will be located in Paris's 13th arrondissement.
The U of C noted that the new Center in Paris will triple the physical capacity of the current building – such that 100 more undergraduate students can study abroad there every year.
The new Center in Paris will also be home to UChicago's new International Institute for Research in Paris – with enhanced facilities for faculty, grad students, and international scholars from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, the U of C said.
"Enhancing the physical capacity of the Center in Paris presents a great opportunity to deepen and enrich the University's scholarly connections across France, Europe, and beyond," University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos said in a news release. "Throughout his tenure, Dean Boyer championed the expansion of the University's global reach. As a tribute to the impact of his endeavors, it is only fitting that this center will now bear his name."
College study abroad offerings in Paris currently include more than 20 programs – including European, African, and Russian Civilization; astronomy; neuroscience; global health; and human rights – among others. The U of C said nearly 60 percent of its undergrads now study abroad while in College, and 40 percent of them go to Paris.
"The expansion of the Center in Paris will benefit faculty, students, alumni, and partners in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for generations to come," Boyer said in the release. "I am deeply honored by this extraordinary gift. The new Center will be a model for what a major American research university can contribute in Europe, becoming a prominent voice of public policy, scholarly achievement, and cultural creativity in Paris and beyond."
Meanwhile, the John W. Boyer Professorship in the College will be awarded to a social sciences or humanities faculty member with "a distinguished record of teaching in the Core curriculum and a history of significant contributions to education and student support," the U of C said.
In addition to developing the Civilization Abroad programs for college students, Boyer is credited as dean with updating the Core curriculum with new majors in data science, astrophysics, and media arts and design. He also more than double enrollment since the start of his tenure while furthering access through an enhanced admissions process – and raised more than $1.3 billion in philanthropy for student access, financial aid, career programs, and campus vibrancy, the U of C said.
Boyer has also been a revered figure – and a representative of support and stability – to generations of U of C undergraduates and alumni.
"The tradition of seeing him bicycling across campus, taking selfies on the Quad with students, and having his image on University apparel have become an integral and beloved part of the College experience," the U of C noted in January of last year.
Naturally, Boyer received applause as he came to greet and speak to members of the University of Chicago College Class of 2002 – of whom the author of this article is one – on the occasion of their 20-year reunion last year.
Melina Hale was appointed this month as the next dean of the College at UChicago – effective July 1. Hale has been a faculty member at the U of C since 2002 – and now serves as the William Rainey Harper Professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and the College and as a vice provost.