DAN GAYLIN:Hello everybody and welcome.
My name's Dan Gaylin.
I'm president and CEO of N-O-R-C and I'm very happy to welcome
you all to the joint symposium celebrating N-O-R-C's 75th
anniversary and the university's 125th anniversary.
This symposium is co-hosted by N-O-R-C at the University
of Chicago, by the Harris School of Public Policy,
and by the division of the social sciences.
I want you to know that we are not
doing full blown introductions of anybody who's
going to be up here today.
All of the bios are in your program.
So you can read more about the very august group of people,
present company excepted, who are going to be up here
speaking to you today.
I just want to do a quick initiative, quick welcome,
a quick thank you to all of you for coming.
To our speakers and participants for all of their work preparing
for this.
To my co-hosts, Dean Nirenberg and Dean Diermeier,
and also very especially to Bob Michael
who was the intellectual leader, and had
many of the creative ideas that formed the basis for today's
symposium.
And of course, to the entire group
of people who worked on putting the symposium together.
It's a large group of people and I can't name them all,
but thank you to all of you.
Without further ado, I'd like to introduce my two co-hosts--Dean
Diermeier and Dean Nirenberg who are going to make some opening
remarks.
[APPLAUSE]
DAVID NIRENBERG:As is appropriate to the venue,
I brought a sermon.
[LAUGHTER] I want to welcome you and thank you for coming.
I'm, as you heard, David Nirenberg,
the Dean of the Social Sciences division.
And I am probably the only medieval historian who has ever
had the privilege of serving on the board of the N-O-R-C.
I'm really excited, especially excited,
to deliver these opening remarks on the 75th anniversary
of N-O-R-C. Am I allowed to say NORC just to make it faster?
[LAUGHTER] Because we're also--
DAN GAYLIN:Only because you're in the family.
[LAUGHTER]
DAVID NIRENBERG:Because we're also celebrating 75 years
of social science research and collaboration between our two
organizations.
Research that has shaped fields, led to fundamental shifts
in methodology, and spurred critical discoveries.
When, the then Dean of Social Sciences,
not a medieval historian, Ralph Tyler,
and NORC's second director, Clyde Hart,
forged the partnership that brought N-O-R-C to Hyde Park
from the University of Denver in 1947,
they began a project that has made outstanding contributions
to our understanding of human behavior in any number
of fields, and as social institutions,
a project that's been growing strongly ever since.
If you look at the SSRB, social sciences research building
windows, one of them has an inscription from Lord Kelvin.
Well, edited from Lord Kelvin.
It says, if you cannot measure a thing,
your knowledge of it is meager and unsatisfactory.
N-O-R-C has been the powerful instrument of measurement
in the social sciences, and a powerful engine of knowledge,
not unsatisfactory knowledge, the most satisfactory
knowledge.
Its modes of research today extend
far beyond the public opinion surveys with which it again.
And they've evolved into, NORC has evolved into,
a completely independent institution
that's actually much larger than the Division of Social
Sciences, and operates in some '40 countries.
And, despite this, our ties remain very deep.
So I would say that the university has afforded N-O-R-C
the opportunity to be engaged with, over the years,
one of the world's most outstanding groups of faculty
in the social sciences.
And I don't mean just the Division of Social Sciences,
Daniel.
I mean Harris and Booth.
And it's provided guidance and nurturing and deep support
for N-O-R-C over years that had there UPS and Downs.
Financial ups and downs, never intellectual ups and downs.
And the relationship has been symbiotic, vice versa,
in other words.
N-O-R-C has always been an invaluable partner
to the university as we seek to recruit the best social science
scholars whose research relies on, well,
these instruments of measurement--data collection,
analysis.
And I could list many.
Some of whom are here.
For example, Jim Coleman, one of the brightest stars
of our division, cited N-O-R-C as one of the principal reasons
why he left Johns Hopkins, which I also do it by the way,
not being a bright star.
This just shows [INAUDIBLE].
And that, that alone would be reason for high praise.
Bob Michael came from Stanford to establish N-O-R-C's economic
research policy.
Bob Willis from Stony Brook, Jim Heckman from Yale.
All recruits in which N-O-R-C played an important role.
Now today, by design, over half of N-O-R-C's Board of Trustees
are sitting UChicago faculty members or administrators.
The trustees, and as I said I have the privilege to be one,
help to guide and nurture the academic relationships
and scientifically rigorous methodological approaches
for which N-O-R-C is famous.
And I can attest, that in turn, N-O-R-C is constantly teaching
the trustees, or at least me the medieval historian,
what good social science should look like.
That collaboration, that structure,
allows for both of us to deepen the kind of work we're doing.
Over the course of the day, you're going to hear about many
such collaborations between N-O-R-C and university faculty.
I'd like to just take a moment to point out some of the ones,
well some very old ones and some new ones,
that will kind of give a sense of how rich our relationship
has been over the years. , If you think about nearly 60 years
ago Donald [? Bode's ?] partnership with N-O-R-C
to conduct the first study, I think the first ever study,
of Chicago's homeless population.
People like Gary Becker, Jim Heckman, I already mentioned,
of course, Linda Waite, Stephen Raudenbush and new projects
as well--Kate Cagney, new projects as well.
I was sitting on my first, what must've been my first,
N-O-R-C Board of Trustees meeting.
When I heard about this new next generation survey panel,
and I immediately went home and called up Kathy Cohen and said,
this is the perfect instrument for your work.
And now we have a joint project with N-O-R-C and Kathy Cohen
focused on young people of color.
So that is the kind of dynamic collaboration
that has, since its inception, marked this relationship.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of the most
significant contributions that N-O-R-C makes to the Social
Sciences Division and to the university as a whole,
and that is the future generations of social sciences
has played a critical role in training graduate students
to gain hands-on experience through internships and work
experience at NORC.
So with that, I would like to welcome my colleague and friend
Daniel Diermeier who is the Dean of Paris School of Public
Policy and the incoming provost of the University of Chicago.
[APPLAUSE]
DANIEL DIERMEIER:Thank you, David, and welcome everyone.
It's a pleasure to be here today to help NORC, N-O-R-C,
wherever you want to call it, celebrate it's 75 years
of impactful research.
When I joined university of Chicago Harris School as Dean
two years ago, I quickly learned of the long and important
relationship that the Harris School has with N-O-R-C,
extending far beyond our shared Hyde Park address.
Since this exception more than a quarter century ago,
Harris and many of its faculty members have worked closely
with N-O-R-C. And I'm pleased to have several of our scholars
and one of our distinguished alumnus today participating
in today's symposium.
And I think what's collaboration does,
it just in a nice way, in a personal way,
highlights the depth of our ongoing partnership.
Today we celebrate N-O-R-C's rich past at a time when
the work it does has never been more important.
N-O-R-C and Harris share a deep commitment to harnessing
the power of data to improve the quality responsiveness
and transparency of public and private decision making.
And as the world becomes more complex and more data centric,
organizations like N-O-R-C and the Harris School will play
an increasingly important role in translating that data
into usable, actionable insights that will drive policy in 40
plus countries around the world.
Over their 75 years, since its formation,
N-O-R-C has achieved its iconic status driven by its
foundational values of excellence, innovation,
and collegiality.
And it is my great pleasure to congratulate you
to this tremendous accomplishment
at this wonderful celebration today.
On a personal note, I'd like to thank N-O-R-C president
and CEO, Dan Gaylin, for being such a great partner
to the Harris School when I arrived.
Whether it's working on common projects, joint hiring,
and, also, the future of political policy analytics that
we just did, like what like two weeks ago--important event.
And just as importantly, being a preferred destination
for graduating students as one of the most
desirable employers.
Dan and his team have been wonderful collaborators
and thought partners.
So today I raise my imaginary glass of champagne
and congratulate this wonderful organization to its first 75
years and look forward to the next 100
years of close collaboration.
For today's event, N-O-R-C has assembled an amazing roster
of speakers and panelists who will showcase the great work
happening at N-O-R-C, and its deep and enduring partnership
with the University of Chicago.
We at the University look forward
to many more years of important and fruitful collaborations.
And now I'd like to introduce N-O-R-C's senior fellow,
Felicia LeClair will walk us through today's agenda,
and host our opening session with N-O-R-C's president
and CEO Dan Gaylin and Norman Bradburn.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]