The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university was incorporated on September 10, 1890, and its trustees elected William Rainey Harper as the first president eight days later. Harper assumed his duties on July 1, 1891, which is the date the university recognizes as its official founding, and classes began on October 1, 1892.
The president is the university's chief executive head and serves as a trustee while in office. Under the university's bylaws, the Board of Trustees elects the president at its annual meeting by a majority vote. The president serves at the Board's pleasure and continues in office until a successor is elected; vacancies may be filled by permanent or acting officers for periods determined by the Board. Subject to the Board's supervision and reserved powers, the president appoints academic and nonacademic staff, oversees the university's physical plant and business activities, carries out measures enacted by the Board and faculties, and serves as the official intermediary between the Board and the faculties and students.
The university's original articles of incorporation required the president and two-thirds of the trustees to be members of Baptist churches. The presidential requirement was removed in 1923, and Max Mason, elected two years later, was the first president selected from outside the university's original faculty. The head of the university was titled president until an administrative reorganization in 1945, when Robert Maynard Hutchins became chancellor and Ernest Cadman Colwell became president as the subordinate administrative chief. The chief-executive title remained chancellor after Hutchins's departure. Under Kimpton, the subordinate presidency was discontinued. The Board restored "president" as the chief executive's title in October 1961, early in George W. Beadle's administration.
Since Harper assumed office, fourteen individuals have served as the university's permanent chief executive. The university's official numbering excludes acting service. Hutchins held the chief-executive office for more than 21 years, the longest tenure, and Hanna Holborn Gray, who took office in 1978 as the first female president of the university, was among the first women to lead a major research university. The incumbent, Paul Alivisatos, became the university's fourteenth president on September 1, 2021. In 2025, the Board extended his term through June 2030.
Presidents + Portrait Name Office Term start Term end 1 President July 1, 1891 January 10, 1906 — Acting president January 16, 1906 February 20, 1907 2 President February 20, 1907 February 19, 1923 — Acting president February 20, 1923 July 12, 1923 3 President July 12, 1923 May 26, 1925 — Acting president May 1925 September 1925 4 President October 1, 1925 June 15, 1928 — Acting president June 15, 1928 June 30, 1929 5 President (1929–1945);chancellor (1945–1951) July 1, 1929 June 30, 1951 — Acting chancellor January 1, 1951 April 12, 1951 — Acting chancellor April 12, 1951 October 18, 1951 6 Chancellor October 18, 1951 September 7, 1960 — Acting chancellor September 8, 1960 March 1961 7 Chancellor (March–October 1961);president (October 1961–1968) March 1961 November 14, 1968 8 President November 14, 1968 February 1975 — Acting president February 1975 December 9, 1975 9 President December 9, 1975 July 1, 1978 10 President July 1, 1978 June 30, 1993 11 President July 1, 1993 June 30, 2000 12 President July 1, 2000 June 30, 2006 13 President July 1, 2006 August 31, 2021 14 President September 1, 2021 Incumbent
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