<p>The most telling part of the article with Obama chief strategist David Axelrod, '76:</p>
<p>"You’re a U. of C. alum (BA, 1976). Did fondness for your Hyde Park years have anything to do with the decision?</p>
<p>I actually felt a kind of frustration in my days at the U. of C. It was very inward-looking and intense, and I was more interested in the world outside. I had come to Chicago [from New York City, where he grew up] because the U. of C. was such a great school and because the city had this tremendously rich political life. I wasn’t just interested in books; I wanted to participate in what was going on outside. When we were talking about the [Institute of Politics], I mentioned that sense of frustration to Bob Zimmer [university president since 2006], and he said, “That’s why we need you to come here.”</p>
<p>Maybe the UChicago intensity remains (and maybe it doesn't), but as President Zimmer and Axelrod note, the university is now much more outside-looking. 20 years ago, it would have been unfathomable to have a politics institute at UChicago. Now, this is probably a fast-growing area for the university. </p>
<p>Going from inward-looking, and intensely books-focused, to outward-looking and engaged is a significant change.</p>