Guest blog by Lorenza Ramirez
Every single day on the University of Chicago campus, there are countless speakers and events taking place across degrees and programs – and one of the highlights of my Booth experience has been exploring outside Harper Center and taking advantage of the speaker series hosted down the street at the University’s Institute of Politics (IOP).
Founded in 2013 by President Obama’s former senior advisor David Axelrod and currently led by former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, the IOP is a nonpartisan program open to all University of Chicago students. The Institute runs a speaker series, the Pritzker Fellows program, internship programming, and civic engagement programming. Check out the breadth of their programming here.
As someone who worked in politics pre-MBA, I knew that during business school I wanted to stay connected to the political world, even if that wasn’t the sole focus of my graduate degree. From the moment I arrived on campus, I was blown away by the variety and frequency of the IOP’s events, as well as the level of access students could get to high-profile politicians. On your average Wednesday at the IOP, you can find students meeting one-on-one with former Senators, having lunch with a diplomat, and debating current events with a journalist. As Booth students, we are just a short (2 minute!) walk from the Institute, and have complete access to all of the IOP’s events.
Here were some of the highlights from the past two years:
Getting to Know the Pritzker Fellows
Every quarter, the IOP invites a slate of “Pritzker Fellows” to campus – seasoned political practitioners who lead weekly seminars, bring in guest speakers, and host office hours to get to know students in a 1:1 setting. Examples of former high-profile Pritzker Fellows include Pete Buttegieg, Beto O’Rourke, and Cecile Richards.
In my first year, I had the opportunity to serve as a Pritzker Fellow Ambassador – a leadership position for students to assist Fellows directly with their programming and welcome them to the UChicago community. In return, Ambassadors are able to form meaningful relationships with some of the most successful political practitioners. During this time, I served as an ambassador for the journalist Lynn Sweet and former Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey.
Post-Election Programming
The IOP’s programming was particularly robust in the lead up — and especially unpacking the aftermath – of the 2024 presidential election. Just weeks after the 2024 election, the IOP invited Chris LaCivita, former Senior Advisor on the Trump Campaign, for a series of off-the-record conversations about how they won. In February, they hosted a panel of the Future of the Democratic Party, featuring Pete Buttegieg and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. This spring, the Institute brought senior strategists James Carville and Lis Smith for an off-the-record conversation about the future of Democratic political strategy and messaging. Through events like these, students had a literal front-row seat to the thinking of some of the architects of both parties’ strategies.
Conversations Across the Aisle
I came to business school to be exposed to viewpoints different from my own and encounter perspectives that challenged my assumptions. At UChicago, the commitment to open inquiry, especially at the IOP, created exactly that. In this climate of extreme political polarization, the IOP provided a forum for civil, thoughtful cross-ideological dialogue. I made a point to challenge myself to attend sessions led by speakers from across the political spectrum. I didn’t always agree with what I heard, but I was forced to sharpen my reasoning and actively question and engage with practitioners from the other side of the aisle.
Bringing the IOP to Booth
Among the many incredible Pritzker Fellows I met over these two years one of the highlights was Xochitl Torres Small, the former Congresswoman (NM-02) and US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. In getting to know many of the visiting Fellows, many expressed that they wanted to come over to Booth and engage directly with MBA students. As a co-chair of the Government & Policy Club, we were able to organize a series of events inviting Pritzker Fellows over to Booth tailored to the MBA community. For example, we were able to partner with Booth’s Food & Agriculture club to host a roundtable with Xochitl (photo above).
This kind of exposure to politics isn’t typical for a business school, and it’s one of the unique advantages of coming to Booth and being just steps away from the IOP.
