Hugo F. Sonnenschein


Hugo Freund Sonnenschein is a prominent American economist and educational administrator. Currently the Adam Smith Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, his specialty is microeconomic theory, with a particular interest in general equilibrium theory. He served as the 11th president of the University of Chicago, and remains a member of the university's Board of Trustees. Previously, he served as Provost of Princeton University and Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania. Sonnenschein attended the University of Rochester for his undergraduate studies from 1957–1961, and received his Ph.D. in Economics from Purdue University in 1964. He is known for the Sonnenschein–Mantel–Debreu theorem, and more generally for his work on Walrasian general equilibrium theory.
He has received the 2009 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economy, Finance and Management.

Curricular reform

During his tenure as president of the University of Chicago, the faculty made significant changes to the curriculum, including a reduction to the required number of "Core" courses in the College. This move was met with much controversy.