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History of the Harris School

1973 University Trustee Sydney "Jim" Stein provides seed funding to the University for a policy program. Six faculty members submit a proposal to the University of Chicago president and provost recommending the establishment of a public policy committee.
1975 A group of 23 faculty members, from such diverse fields as business, economics, education, history, law, medicine, political science, social work, sociology, and statistics, formally establish the Committee on Public Policy Studies.
1976 University establishes a Visiting Committee for Committee on Public Policy Studies.
1977 Committee on Public Policy Studies awards one-year A.M. degrees to seven graduates and enrolls 11 new students.
1979 A two-year A.M. program is launched that enrolls 36 students.
1981 A Ph.D. program in public policy studies is established.
1983 Enrollment in CPPS programs reaches 100 master's and Ph.D. students.
1985 University President Hanna Gray appoints a panel of five deans to review the status of the public policy program. The panel recommends that a graduate school be created from the Committee on Public Policy Studies.
1986 Irving Harris establishes a core endowment for the Graduate School of Public Policy Studies.
1987 The Council of the University Senate unanimously recommends that the University establish a professional "Graduate School of Public Policy Studies," to begin operations in the 1988-89 academic year. A search committee is formed to locate the School's first dean.
1989 During the next five years, the School grows full-time equivalent (FTE) faculty from four faculty to 13, exceeds 140 students enrolled in its programs, and approaches $3 million in annual research grants.
1990 The Graduate School of Public Policy Studies is named the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies in recognition of Mr. Harris' generosity and strong support of the program.
1997 The public policy program celebrates the 20th anniversary of the awarding of its first master's degrees.
2002 The Harris School welcomes its largest class ever. 136 M.P.P. students.

Contact Information
E-mail: HarrisSchool@uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-702-8400

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