Hugo Sonnenschein, Economics and SAS Dean
Hugo Sonnenschein, the dean of Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences from 1988 to 1991 and later the eleventh president of the University of Chicago, died on July 15. He was 80.
Dr. Sonnenschein received an undergraduate degree in 1961 from the University of Rochester, then received a PhD in economics from Purdue University three years later. Afterward, he began teaching at the University of Minnesota, where he became a full professor in 1968. In 1970, he moved to UMass Amherst, then moved to Northwestern in 1973 and to Princeton in 1976. He remained at Princeton for the next twelve years, leading Princeton’s graduate group in economics and serving as a visiting professor at Stanford, Tel-Aviv, Hebrew, Marseilles, Paris, Strasbourg and Colombia’s University of the Andes. In the fall 1983 semester, he was a visiting lecturer in the department of economics in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences.
In 1988, Dr. Sonnenschein was named dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, the first dean of SAS to be recruited from outside the school. The new dean “is coming at an especially challenging time,” President Sheldon Hackney said (Almanac July 12, 1988). “Dr. Sonnenschein is not only a top-flight economist and teacher but a perceptive academic leader who sees clearly what needs to be done and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with the faculty.” As dean, Dr. Sonnenschein set to work with a vengeance, laying out goals of buying computers for the school and reforming the tenure process (Almanac October 4, 1988). In his three years as dean, he helped attract several prominent gifts to the school and led the SAS Capital Campaign (Almanac October 23, 1990), which greatly expanded the freshman seminar program and tripled the school’s number of faculty advisors for undergraduate students.
Dr. Sonnenschein returned to Princeton in 1991 as its provost. Just two years later, the University of Chicago recruited him to become the school’s eleventh president, a position he held until 2000. “As president, Hugo provided visionary leadership during a transformational period for the University,” wrote the University of Chicago News in a tribute to Dr. Sonnenschein. “He helped strengthen the recruitment of faculty and students and made tremendous strides in fundraising. Very importantly, he initiated a vital expansion of the College. This was controversial at the time, but has proven to be a critical component of the evolution of the College and its capacity to reinforce and expand upon the enduring values and approach to education of the College and University. Hugo’s tireless work led to substantial improvements during his time as president, and set the stage for many of the advances the University has made in the decades since. He was a leader of foresight whose achievements will be remembered with deep respect.”
In addition to his academic career, Dr. Sonnenschein was an honorary trustee of the University of Chicago and a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Rochester. He was a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and a distinguished fellow of the Economic Society. In 1989, he also served as president of the Econometric Society.
Dr. Sonnenschein is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Gunn Sonnenschein; three daughters; and five grandchildren. Details of a memorial service will be announced soon.
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Hugo Sonnenschein, Economics and SAS Dean - UPENN Almanac
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