Giving was simply a way of life for Irving
B. Harris, one of Chicago’s most generous philanthropists,
a tireless advocate for children everywhere, a Life Trustee
of the University of Chicago, and for whom the Irving
B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies was
named.
Despite his success as a businessman,
Harris’s
true passion was improving the lives of children through
innovative solutions to wide-ranging social problems.
Harris understood intimately the connection between groundbreaking
research and work in the field and was instrumental in
launching several initiatives and nonprofit institutions,
including Project Head Start, the Erikson Institute,
and the Ounce of Prevention Fund.
“Irving Harriswas one of those extraordinary and
too-rare individuals whose passion and humanity made
a real difference in the lives of others,” said
University President Don Michael Randel. “Our society—no
less than the lives of the children whose lives he bettered—owes
Irving a debt of incalculable gratitude.”
Harris realized the potential of investing
in a world-class research enterprise in the heart of
the city’s
South Side and chose the University of Chicago as a key
beneficiary of his time and talent.
Although he had a wide
range of interests at the University, Harris’s greatest commitment was to the study of
public policy. Dismayed that many of the country’s
brightest young leaders were forgoing careers in the
public sphere for lucrative jobs on Wall Street, Harris
led initiatives to launch the new Graduate School of
Public Policy Studies at the University and provided
the School’s core endowment. In 1990, the University
renamed the School in his honor.
“In providing the
financial gift that launched the Harris School, as well
as funding for countless scholarships, Irving provided
the Harris School the opportunity to fulfill the mission
that he so strongly believed in: empower scholars to seek
impartial policy-relevant knowledge and
train leaders to put that knowledge to work for the public
good,” said Susan E. Mayer, Associate Professor
and Dean of the Harris School.
Harris remained active in
the Harris School’s
programs throughout his life. In 1988, he created the
Mentor Program, now an integral component of the Center
for Policy Practice, which matches students with leading
policy professionals for one-on-one mentoring relationships
in their field of interest. The program is the only one
of its kind at any leading public policy institution.
In
1999, he initiated and endowed the University’s
Center for Human Potential and Public Policy. The Center
integrates research and policy perspectives on improving
the health, welfare, and development of children and
their families.
“Irving B. Harris made so many remarkable contributions
to the lives of families and children,” said C.
Cybele Raver, Associate Professor and Director of the
Center for Human Potential and Public Policy. “In
short, Harris was able to bridge the worlds of research,
policy, politics, and practice. Harris served to teach
us, mentor us, and inspire us, and we will miss him very
much.”
Even in his passing, Harris serves as
an inspiration to all of those he touched. “It was his steadfast
leadership and counsel that enabled the School to become
what it is today, and his legacy of vision and generosity
will continue to motivate us to make a difference,” said
Dean Mayer.
Michelle Caswell
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