The Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture

The 2024 Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture will be held on April 2.

Prof. Jonathan Lear, a preeminent scholar of philosophy and ethics, will deliver the 2024 Nora and Edward Ryerson Lecture on April 2 at 5 p.m. in the Rubenstein Forum’s Friedman Hall. Learn more here.

History

The Ryerson Lectures grew out of a 1972 bequest to the University by Nora and Edward L. Ryerson, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees. It has become a "hallmark of the University," said former UChicago President Hugo Sonnenschein, because of its "rich tradition in celebrating the work of our faculty." It honors excellence in academic pursuits and the "high aspirations we hold for ourselves as a community of scholars."

The faculty selects each Ryerson Lecturer based on a consensus that a particular scholar has made research contributions of lasting significance. In return, the Ryerson Lecturer is asked to reflect on his or her intellectual life and work.

Since the Trustees established the lectures in 1973, they have become important events for the University and have been disseminated widely outside the institution. The continued success of the Ryerson Lectures depends on the quality of the nominations received, and it is the hope of the committee that every member of the faculty will give careful consideration to this matter.

Previous Ryerson Lecturers