By Peter I. Kujawinski and Katelyn Yoshimoto
The University of Chicago on Nov. 15 celebrated the official opening of the John W. Boyer Center in Paris, a new facility that will serve as an important regional hub for UChicago’s ambitious education, research and collaboration across Europe, the Middle East and Africa for years to come.
The Center will bring together faculty, students, alumni and partners, while also fostering relationships with scholars, policymakers and thinkers from around the world.
“Today is a celebration of our hosts and our friends who have welcomed us and supported us and made it possible for this place to emerge,” said President Paul Alivisatos. “It’s a physical place of great beauty, a physical place of brilliant design, but it’s also an idea for how we can work together that’s extremely special.”
The celebration featured a two-day symposium, which brought together UChicago leaders, faculty, and representatives from higher education and research institutions in France and Europe. It culminated with a ribbon-cutting event that included Marie-Christine Lemardeley, deputy mayor of Paris responsible for higher education, research and student life; Lamia El Aaraje, deputy mayor of urbanism, architecture, Grand Paris and accessibility; Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the 13th district of Paris; and UChicago alumni and friends.
“I’m delighted to see that all of our common ambitions have been realized to provide students and researchers with a campus of outstanding architectural quality in the heart of the city,” said Lemardeley at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Designed by renowned architectural firm Studio Gang, the Center is located in the heart of the Paris Rive Gauche area of Paris’ 13th district—a vibrant neighborhood close to the Université Paris Cité Grands Moulins campus and the French National Library. The new building, funded in large part through a collective outpouring of donations, nearly triples the size of UChicago’s former Center in Paris, which opened in 2003.
A vertical campus, learning and research areas wrap around a central staircase that connects spaces both physically and visually. The Center also features event spaces, a rooftop garden, amphitheater, classrooms, a library, and dedicated workspaces for research teams and visiting scholars. It also houses the new International Institute of Research in Paris (IIRP), which supports UChicago’s collaborations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
The Center is named after John W. Boyer, who transformed the College during his unprecedented 31-year tenure as dean of the College and was instrumental in conceptualizing the study abroad program, as well as the initial Center in Paris.
Expanded capacity for study abroad
Nearly half of UChicago undergraduates study abroad at least once, with close to 1,000 students slated to participate during the 2024-25 academic year. With more than 20 study abroad programs, Paris is the most popular city for UChicago students studying abroad.
“With the new Center we are thrilled for many more of our students to study in Paris,” said Melina Hale, dean of the College. “The ability to live and engage in this incredible city is a remarkable opportunity. And their experience is enhanced further with excursions in Paris and well beyond it."
Students have been filling the halls of the new Center since classes began in early October. UChicago faculty-led programs in Paris span disciplines, taking advantage of the unique surroundings—archives, monuments and museums in the city—while maintaining UChicago’s high academic standards and connecting students to research opportunities outside of the classroom.
“The main reason I chose UChicago was due to the abundance of study abroad options for students, seamlessly built into my experience,” said Janya Allen, a third-year neuroscience major in the College who returned to Paris this quarter after studying at the original Center in the summer of 2023. “I love being able to continue my studies in a familiar but new environment and use my French skills to engage with the broader community.”
A hub for international engagement
The Center reflects UChicago’s commitment to collaborating with institutions and researchers around the world. The city’s central location and its broad range of research facilities offer new possibilities for bringing UChicago scholars and researchers together with their international counterparts. In addition, UChicago’s ties to Paris run deep—previous generations of UChicago scholars built strong partnerships with French counterparts and institutions.
The new building and the launch of the IIRP enable the University to welcome faculty and other scholars to conduct research in the region and to multiply opportunities for exchange and collaboration. It will further UChicago’s connections throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East by fostering intellectual creativity and collaboration among students, scholars, alumni, artists, practitioners, and policymakers.
The expanded Center also will help strengthen the University’s existing partnerships with institutions based in France, such as the CNRS-UChicago International Research Center for Fundamental Scientific Discovery (IRC-Discovery)—aimed at addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time through international collaboration.
UChicago’s first Center in Paris became a model for global engagement when it opened more than 20 years ago. UChicago built upon its success by subsequently opening global centers in Beijing and Delhi and campuses in Hong Kong and London.