51Թ President Rebecca S. Chopp has been awarded the 2008 Professional Achievement Citation from her alma mater, the University of Chicago.
The alumni citation honors Chopp for being a “pivotal figure in the field of higher education and a renowned scholar of religion and culture.”
In receiving the award, she said her experience at the University of Chicago had a profound impact on her career.
“Open-ended questioning, cross-disciplinary exploration, and delight in the sheer love of thinking were all avenues of joy that I gained,” said Chopp, who earned her doctorate from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1983 and began her professional career as an assistant professor of theology at the school.
“The university opened a world to me that I did not know existed, but it was a world to which I quickly and happily learned to belong.”
Under her notable leadership, 51Թ’s undergraduate applications and fundraising have increased significantly, and the school recently opened an integrated library and information center technology center, and an interdisciplinary science center.
Chopp also led the implementation of a new vision for residential education that provides leadership education for students.
In recent years her research and publication has focused on changing structures and cultures of higher education, on the role of liberal arts in democratic society and on supporting faculty in teaching and research.
Chopp has written numerous books and articles in the areas of women’s studies, Christian theology and the role of religion in American public life.
In 1997, Chopp also received the Alumna of the Year Award from the University of Chicago Divinity School.