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In Memoriam:
Irving B. Harris, 1910-2004
A Word from the Dean: State of the
School - My Vision for the Future of the Harris School
Trickle
Down Effects: Parents’ Unemployment and Their
Children’s School Performance
Immigrant
Entrepreneurship: Does Fulfilling an American Dream
Cause Economic Displacement?
Foundation
Support Helps Develop New Urban Leaders
Making a Difference: Diane Gibson,
AM‘96, PhD’99
Making
a Difference: Irene Basloe Saraf, AM’95
Community Notes
The
Levin Faculty Fellowship: Funding Urban Research
Cash & Carry:
Banking and the Poor
Policy
in Practice: Students Reflect on Group Internships
At Home and Abroad
The
2004 Entering Class
Keep
in touch!
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The impact of research on urban problems
like poverty, unemployment, and education could have
a significant effect in the future, helping to shape
policies and programs ten or even twenty years from now.
Daniel
Levin recognizes the value of such research. He also
knows firsthand the challenges associated with trying
to solve the most serious urban problems. A continuous
supporter of the Harris School and its mission both to
conduct policy-relevant research and to train tomorrow’s
leaders and policymakers, Daniel Levin gave a generous
gift in 2001 that established the Levin Faculty Fellowship.
Awarded annually to a faculty member researching important
urban issues, this program has already supported research
on incarcerated women and their families (Robert J. LaLonde,
2001–02), why growing numbers of Americans are
uninsured (Helen G. Levy, 2002–03), and the sexual
behavior of teenagers (Robert T. Michael, 2003–04).
This year the Levin Faculty Fellowship has been awarded
to Christopher Berry, a new assistant professor in the
Harris School, for his work examining the causes of increasing
disparities in economic performance among US cities.
The
Levin Faculty Fellowship has been especially valuable
as a means for faculty members to support the start-up
costs of long-term research projects. A clear example
of the fellowship’s impact is Robert J. LaLonde’s
research project, “Incarcerated Mothers and Their
Children.” In 2001, LaLonde had just begun to think
about the social welfare costs of the dramatically increasing
rates of incarcerated women, most of whom were mothers.
Understanding these costs was a huge undertaking that
would require extensive funding, and LaLonde needed help
getting it started.
He was awarded the inaugural Levin
Faculty Fellowship for 2001–02, and now, in part due to that initial
support, the project is well under way with funding from
several sources, including the Chicago Community Trust,
the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Open Society Institute.
The project’s findings could lead to more cost-effective
and compassionate policies for nonviolent female offenders.
“Daniel Levin’s support—in all its
forms—has been of crucial significance for the
growth of the School,” says Dean Susan E. Mayer. “Dan
is committed to improving the urban condition and knows
that by supporting us he is helping to find long-lasting
solutions to difficult problems. It would be hard to
put into words how grateful we are for Dan’s support.” Helping
to address critical urban problems is familiar territory
to Levin, who is also Chairman of the Habitat Company
and Managing General Partner of the East Bank Club. As
a real estate developer, he has changed the landscape
of housing in Chicago—from both the public and
private sectors. Appointed to oversee the Chicago Public
Housing’s scattered-site housing development program
by a US District Court in 1987, Levin and the Habitat
Company have been working to improve public housing throughout
the city. The Habitat Company is also a highly successful
development firm and is responsible for many Chicago
landmarks, including Presidential Towers, River Plaza,
and Newberry Plaza.
Eleanor Cartelli
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