ROCKEFELLER MEMORIAL CHAPEL

And what a joy to arrive here at this particular moment in the history of Rockefeller Chapel! the renovation (planned and overseen by my predecessor, Alison Boden) so nearly complete, the magnificent organ restored to its full glory, the bells of the carillon ringing across the campus again, and the time right for expanded programming, musical and spiritual, ceremonial and academic.

I hope to continue the tradition of overseeing the use of the Chapel in ways which play to its strengths: speaking to the nobility of the human capacity for awe and profound quest for meaning. This includes generous provision of the kinds of worship uniquely expressed in great cathedral-like settings, as well as programming designed to draw a wide variety of university and community audiences! world-class speakers, bold and imaginative performance series in music and the arts, gatherings focused upon pressing contemporary concerns.

At the same time, I will be addressing the complex and often contradictory issues related to practiced religion on campus (reflecting those same issues in the wider world), working with colleagues in the Office of the Vice President and Dean of Students, and in the various schools and departments, and with representatives of world faith traditions, to identify ways of shaping a broad and inclusive university interreligious life for the 21st century! an engaged pluralism, consonant with the values of a proudly secular institution. I believe we are at a moment when we can position the University of Chicago as an exemplar in this respect, drawing upon the University's great intellectual and cultural strengths to ground this work in fresh and innovative approaches: moving beyond structure to the embodiment of the ideals of mutual understanding and respect which must infuse human religious encounter in today's rapidly changing global context.

I look forward to overseeing the use of the Rockefeller Chapel itself in ways true to the dream from which the Chapel arose, yet shaped for today. I look forward to working with the dedicated and immensely talented staff of the Chapel, and with colleagues throughout the University and in Hyde Park and the city of Chicago, to create a program of liturgical, artistic, musical, and other public events of a scale which fit this glorious and unique space.

And I look forward to meeting all of you who read this newsletter! I hope you will share with me your own stories about the Chapel, past and present, and join with me in envisioning new things!