Hugo Sonnenschein, former president of the University of Chicago, has died at 80, according to the university.
An economist, Mr. Sonnenschein was the 11th president of the school, holding that post from 1993 to 2000.
When he announced he was stepping down in 1999, he said, “It is time for another president, one who is less a symbol of change, to carry the momentum forward.”
He’d drawn criticism for pushing to reduce the number of required courses to allow students to take more electives and for expanding enrollment — a move he said was necessary to guarantee a robust network of alumni and benefactors.
His efforts drew pushback from some students and prominent university scholars — among them writer Saul Bellow — who argued the changes diluted academic standards.
His vision was “controversial at the time but has proven to be a critical component of the evolution of the college,” Robert J. Zimmer, the current U. of C. president, and provost Ka Yee C. Lee said in a written statement Thursday.
They said Mr. Sonnenschein’s tenure at the school brought an expanded capital campaign to pay for projects including construction of the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center and the Max Palevsky Residential Commons for students.
He had a gregarious style, engaging with students on campus.
He and his wife were cyclists, hikers and windsurfers.
Mr. Sonnenschein previously was provost of Princeton University, where he taught for 12 years. He was a dean in the school of arts and sciences at the University of Pennsylvania and had a doctorate in economics from Purdue University. In the 1970s, he taught at Northwestern University. He also was an instructor at the Universities of Minnesota and Massachusetts at Amherst.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Gunn Sonnenschein, three daughters and five grandchildren.
