The following message was sent to emeriti faculty and friends on May 12, 2020:
Dear UChicago Emeriti and Friends,
We hope this finds you well as we reach the midway point of Spring Quarter. Campus remains closed, but the University is open and vibrant, albeit in a virtual way. Moving instruction online has brought out creativity in faculty and students who are teaching and learning in all new ways. In the midst of this transition, we are also finding new avenues to reach out and stay connected to each other and to the University – including through the webcam at Botany Pond. As we all continue to teach, learn, and work remotely, we wanted to collect and pass along information, resources, and updates on a more regular, monthly basis. For the most recent information on campus and the campus response, please continue to refer to the Coronavirus Updates site the University maintains.
Resource Updates: Zoom and TIAA Webinars
Staying Connected with Zoom Accounts
The University is pleased to be able to provide UChicago Zoom accounts to emeriti who are continuing their research, scholarship, and advising. Please refer to the emeriti faculty website for more information about how to obtain an account and some helpful FAQs that we have put together.
TIAA Webinars
TIAA offers regular webinars that are open to any TIAA participants. The most recent Financial Education Webinar in April featured a Quarterly Economic and Market Update with their Chief Financial Planning Strategists. It has been recorded and is available on demand; to access the recording you can follow the instructions on the emeriti website. You can also log into your TIAA account here anytime to find more resources and information they have curated.
Benefits
The UChicago Human Resources Office has collated information about COVID-19 related updates to the Retiree Medical Plans and expanded telehealth and other services provided by Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield. These are available for download here. If you have questions about the plans or benefits, please contact UChicago’s Retiree Benefits Specialist Xaviera Espinoza at xaviera@uchicago.edu.
Sustaining Inquiry
The University is committed to sustaining the rigorous inquiry that has defined its community, though for the time being the debates and discussions are moving online and happening in different forms. Remain part of the discussions and start connecting virtually by accessing the various online resources for research and information that the Schools, Divisions, and Library have made available, collected on the emeriti website.
Campus museums have also been providing access to lectures, virtual gallery tours, and collections, and are updating their sites with more curated content. Recent additions include:
- The Oriental Institute Online: provides opportunities to explore the collections, view exhibits, and browse digital publications
- The Smart Museum At Home: offers virtual visits, digital resources, artist interviews, and more, all designed to foster continued inquiry. You can also view a companion site to the Allure of Matter exhibition, Allure From Home, which provides digital content building upon the recent show.
- Public Art on Campus: Revisit the site UChicago Arts developed that showcases the diverse array of monumental art on display around campus.
Upcoming Events
The News Office has created a central place to keep the community informed about all that is happening around campus at UChicago Virtual Events. Check the site regularly to get updates and information for upcoming events, register for Zoom webinars, tune in to music performances, and attend live lectures.
The Alumni Association has also taken their signature lecture series online. Over 7000 members of the University community attended their first virtual Harper Lecture featuring Raghuram Rajan, Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the Booth School of Business, “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Economy.” David Nirenberg, Dean of the Divinity School and Deborah R. and Edgar D. Jannotta Distinguished Service Professor of Social Thought, Medieval History, Middle East Studies, Romance Languages and Literatures, and the College, will deliver the final Harper Lecture of Spring Quarter, “Bring Your Curiosity Online,” on June 8. Please visit the Alumni Association’s Harper Lecture portal for more details and information. For past lectures, peruse the archive the Alumni Association has made available on the Harper Lecture YouTube channel.
Noteworthy Recent Events and Podcasts
The Institute of Politics hosted Leadership in Crisis: Emily Landon, Executive Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control and Associate Professor of Medicine, in conversation with David Axelrod as their first virtual event of the Spring Quarter.
The Center for Decision Research’s featured Nick Epley, John Templeton Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Neubauer Family Faculty Fellow at the Booth School of Business, speaking on “The Surprising Power of Social Connection,” as part of their Think Better series.
For more updates and information on podcasts around the University, check out the UChicago Podcast Network, a gateway to exploring signature podcasts including Big Brains, Knowledge Applied, Capitalisn’t, Open Stacks from the Seminary Co-Op, and many more.
Warmly,
Melina Hale, Phil Venticinque, and Cassandra Martynow
Melina Hale
Vice Provost
Phil Venticinque
Assistant Provost
Cassandra Martynow
Associate Director