Annual Fund and Alumni Engagement Report

2021–22

Each year offers a moment of reflection. Ahead of the most recent graduation, we asked alumni to share advice for the class of 2022. As evidence of our incredible community and how willing we are to support one another, more than 600 of you promptly replied—many with variations on the importance of utilizing and maintaining the Chicago Booth network.

So much of the advice shared is a great reminder for us all, so I want to share a few of the quotes below.

I am appreciative of all the ways our community shows up, from sharing invaluable advice to giving impactful donations. As you’ll see in this report, 13,929 alumni engaged with Chicago Booth this year—thank you!

Caroline Karr, ’88
Chief Advancement and Strategy Officer

Advice for the class of 2022

“Play to your strengths while making career choices. Do not follow the herd and be sure to take risks early on in your career. While you will not define success until much later, you sure won’t have any regrets!”

Rashmi Seshadri, ’08

“Be bold in your ideas and thinking. Have the confidence that you have a great foundation to be successful in whatever path you pick!”

Srikant Inampudi, ’01

“Be the glue in your network.”

Atri Sen, ’21 (XP-90)

“Take care of yourself and celebrate the small wins often because everything is moving so quickly that there isn’t time to realize how much we grow each day. I was surprised at the recent reunion how many of my classmates (including myself) have changed jobs, started new ventures and many other exciting life updates. To summarize, be open-minded and ready to take a leap of faith because there’s really no better time to try something new than when an opportunity presents itself.”

Reggie Watts, ’20

“Be fearless, but also patient with your growth and evolution. The classroom learning may be coming to an end, but the “life” learning post-Booth is just kicking off. Get excited and do great things!”

Manette Wete, ’15

Honor Rolls

Dean’s Society Giving Roster

Alumni Giving Roster

Friends Giving Roster

Annual Fund Impact

Group of diverse students smiling in a classroom

Curricular Innovation
This year’s curriculum shifts reflected that the JD/MBA Program reached capacity at 25 students, behavioral science matched the strength of our finance programs, and the continued popularity of health care and entrepreneurship courses. Several new courses were offered this academic year, including a new Health Economics class taught by Matthew Notowidigdo and Private Markets from an Investor’s Perspective taught by Stefan Hepp, ’90.

Global Initiatives
In March 2022, we welcomed more than 450 alumni, students, friends, and community members from 49 countries to our new London home with a multiday series of special events and panel presentations. At the opening celebration, Dean Madhav Rajan said, “We operate with the notion that we are a truly global school. The world is the context for everything that we do. We want to have the best faculty from across the world, and we want their work to have global impact.”

Three smiling students walking down stairs

Faculty Research
Chicago Booth leadership worked to support the creation of the University of Chicago’s new Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity. Throughout the multiyear planning process, Booth offered its support to the Social Sciences Division, where the department is housed. This interdivisional collaboration is directly linked to Booth’s expanding undergrad instruction in the College.

Scholarships
Recruiting a diverse student body continued to be a priority as part of the Booth Diversity and Inclusion Plan. Black student enrollment increased from 6.6 percent in 2012, to 7.4 percent in 2017, to 10.8 percent in 2021. Incoming second-year student Branden Elkins, the first Annual Fund Diversity Scholarship recipient, shared, “I am grateful for this opportunity and appreciate the support from donors that made it possible for me to attend. I feel supported to go above and beyond in realizing my career ambitions and finding ways to give back to the community that has made it possible.”

Annual Fund Progress

Bar graph showing a total of 12.53 million dollars raised by 7,657 donors in the 2021 to 2022 year

View Previous Years

A bar graph showing total funds raised and donor amounts for various years. Totals are: 2020 to 2021: 12.94 million dollars, 7,935 donors. 2019 to 2020: 11.07 million dollars, 7,673 donors. 2018 to 2019: 10.74 million dollars, 8,167 donors. 2017 to 2018: 11.1 million dollars, 8,101 donors.

Alumni Engagement

speakers for alumni events

events planned by and for alumni—65 were in person

alumni attended an event, volunteered, or connected with the Chicago Booth community

Alumni served in leadership positions on Council, Global Leaders Group, and center advisory committees

Chicago Booth Women’s Network Leadership Summit at the new London campus.

Group of people smiling outdoors at an alumni event

Chicago Booth Alumni Club of South Florida members at an in-person event.

Chicago Booth Black Alumni Association Brunch during Reconnect 2022.

Events and Highlights

Worldwide Booth Night

More than 1,200 alumni raised their glasses to celebrate the Chicago Booth community for the first hybrid Worldwide Booth Night, with in-person celebrations in Hong Kong and London. Research centers from Chicago Booth joined the festivities and shared their research with alumni and students.

Group of people smiling at an indoor event

Alumni celebrate in person on the London campus.

Pacific Time Zone

Donor Day

In the season of thanks, on November 18, 2021, we took the day to specially recognize the more than 35,000 alumni donors who have given back to the school. As a part of this celebration, we asked some of our most dedicated alumni donors to share what they are thankful for.

“I’m thankful for the amazing community of Booth alumni who are always willing to lend a helping hand!”

Vidur Sehgal, ’15

“Tomorrow is never promised. So, I am thankful for the fullness of life and the abundance of blessings that continue to flow my way, including good health, great friends, and a loving and supportive family.”

Chris Moore, ’12 (XP-81)

“I am incredibly grateful for my Booth community. It has led to many friendships and eventually to the opportunity to start and lead BANC. In turn that experience gave me the confidence in my skills and a community to lean into as I continue my entrepreneurial path at 1102 Partners. After meeting my husband, David Maley, at Booth, I am thankful to come full circle in sharing with him the launch of our new venture.”

Judith Solomon Maley, ’84

December Donor Dash

James Phillips, ’97, matched all gifts to the Chicago Booth Annual Fund 1:1, up to $100,000. In December, 2,715 donors met the challenge to cumulatively raise more than $3.5 million for Chicago Booth.

London Campus Opening

In March 2022, we officially opened our new state-of-the-art campus with a multiday series of special events to celebrate Chicago Booth’s long-standing presence in London.

Person talking and gesturing in a three-person event panel

Conversation with Juan de Pablo and reception at the Tate Modern.

Modern lobby interior with stone floor and tall windows

Learn more about Chicago Booth’s new London campus.

Giving Day 2022

The funds raised during Giving Day, and every day, make it possible for Booth to empower bold thinkers and inquisitive minds to dig deeper, discover more, and shape the future.

Twitter post asking for donations for Giving Day

Giving Day made philanthropy part of the conversation on social media.

People smiling in captains hats while saluting

Our Giving Day staff captains kept momentum going in the office.

Booth staff at a table at an event giving students information

Students learned about the Chicago Booth Annual Fund at Charles M. Harper Center and Gleacher Center.

total donors raised $2,056,783—$408,000 more than the total raised during the last Giving Day.

donors were Booth faculty and staff—a 67 percent increase from last Giving Day!

current Booth students participated in Giving Day this year.

Reconnect 2022

Reconnect 2022 took place in-person in Chicago, for the first time in three years, on May 5–8. The weekend was a great success with over 2,300 guests in attendance. This included over 1,600 alumni celebrating a reunion (from our current and reunion re-do classes). Additionally, reunion fundraising from current classes grew to $12,449,055 from 1,777 donors for the year, with the class of 2017 setting a new record for dollars raised for a five-year reunion.

Two people seated in conversation on stage at an event

Weekend highlights included the Booth Management Conference, featuring a keynote conversation between Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, JD ’89, and Dean Madhav Rajan.

Group of people smiling and waving on an interior building balcony above a Chicago Booth sign

We also celebrated the Class of 2020, who were invited back to Reconnect to celebrate their make-up 1st reunion, and to participate in a delayed in-person graduation for 2020 graduates and guests.

Group of people smiling together at an event

Another highlight included the Sunday CBAA Brunch. Gathering in person at the London House during Reconnect continues to be the highlight of the Chicago Booth Black community. More than 120 members of our Booth Black community gathered in person for the first time in two years.

Group of people smiling together at a networking event

Lastly, Booth reunion volunteers truly contribute to the continued success of Reconnect. This year, we had more than 180 reunion volunteers across all milestone years who played an important role in bringing their classmates back to Chicago and encouraging participation in their class campaigns.

“The word “reconnect” says it all! The Booth alumni community continues to be one of the best, most significant, and long-term benefits of my MBA. While careers and families now take priority, we still find time to support one another and stay in touch. . .10 years and going strong!”

Shaelyn Otikor-Miller, ’12

Booth Community Challenge

To close out the 2021–22 fiscal year, Shang-Chien Sam Kwei, ’14, sponsored a $150,000 challenge that would only be unlocked if 1,000 or more donors made a gift during the month of June. The support of 1,006 donors surpassed the Booth Community Challenge goal.

“Think about the compounding effect we’re teaching about in business school: the effect of compound interest, for example. What about compound kindness?”

Shang-Chien Sam Kwei, ’14

Thank you for your continued support

Engage with Upcoming Events

Read Archived Impact Reports

Annual Fund Ways to Give

Phone
773.702.7747

Online
ChicagoBooth.edu/makeyourgift

Mail
The University of Chicago
Gift Administration and Business Data
5235 S. Harper Court
4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60615

Securities & Wire Transfers
securitiesgifts@uchicago.edu

Contact

We strive to make sure all donors to Chicago Booth are appreciated and recognized correctly. For any update requests, please contact us directly at 773.702.7747 or theannualfund@chicagobooth.edu.

Advancement and Alumni Relations Leadership Team

First HIDDEN

Patricia Hill

Senior Director, US and Global Individual Giving
212.218.4283
patricia.hill@chicagobooth.edu

Caroline Karr, ’88

Chief Advancement and Strategy Officer
773.702.0520
caroline.karr@chicagobooth.edu

Lisa Miller

Senior Director, Operations, Communications, and Events
773.702.8525
lisa.miller@chicagobooth.edu

Adam Niermann

Senior Director, Leadership and Annual Giving
773.702.7571
adam.niermann@chicagobooth.edu

Alyson Schumacher

Senior Director, Advancement Services
773.702.7548
alyson.schumacher@chicagobooth.edu

Katie Tkach

Senior Director, US and Global Individual Giving
773.702.7259
katie.tkach@chicagobooth.edu

Annie White

Senior Director, Alumni Relations
773.702.9342
annie.white@chicagobooth.edu

If you have any additional questions, please contact us at theannualfund@chicagobooth.edu.