Peggy Mason to address Class of 2029 at Aims of Education

Oftentimes the learning process requires us to drive through limits and get outside our comfort zones. 

That’s the lesson Prof. Peggy Mason hopes to instill to the University of Chicago’s Class of 2029 at the annual Aims of Education Address in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel during Orientation Week later this month.

“They should know that the moment that they get uncomfortable is the golden moment when something could happen,” Mason said. “That is when they truly learn things.”

As Mason crafts her Sept. 25 address, she said she wanted to put herself in the mindset of the students that will be hearing it. 

“I asked myself: If I were in their shoes today, what would I want to get out of this experience at UChicago that I couldn’t get out of another situation?” Mason said. “The answer to me is that you get to experience being with this group of people in this environment. You can focus on learning, focus on ineffable questions and focus on continuing to push even when encountering discomfort.”

This year’s address, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., will be webcasted on the College’s Facebook page, YouTube and the UChicago News website. 

Mason has been at the University of Chicago for the past 33 years and is a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and the director of the undergraduate minor in Science Communication and Public Discourse (SCPD) in the College. She is also known for her work on empathy and helping behavior in rats, and has been awarded the Quantrell Award—believed to be the nation’s oldest prize for undergraduate teaching.

While she was honored to be asked by Dean Melina Hale to deliver the address, nervousness immediately soon set in. That’s because her selection puts Mason on the short list of esteemed UChicago faculty who have been tapped to deliver the Address to incoming undergraduate students since the tradition began in 1961. 

But her own nerves were quickly dispelled as she began thinking about the journey the undergraduates are about to embark on.

“These students are at the very cusp of their career here and they’re just so open,” said Mason. “Sure, they’re nervous but they're also excited, and I think it’s a nice UChicago tradition to take a step back and figure out why we do this little gig for four years.”

To Mason, the time that anyone spends on the education process needs to be intentional and worthwhile. The Aims of Education allows them to reflect on that experience.

“At the end of the day, they are taking four years of the only life they have to come and be here,” Mason said. “So, is it worth an evening talking about how to think about those four years? I think it’s definitely worth that.”