June 24, 2025
When Richard Mason first joined the University of Chicago in 1993, undergraduate housing looked vastly different. Students were scattered across Hyde Park, often commuting to and from campus daily by bus. “It was much more of a commuter experience,” he recalls. “So, it was a very disconnected student experience.”
Over the next three decades, Mason would become a driving force behind a major transformation in UChicago’s undergraduate experience: the evolution into a truly residential campus. As Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Associate Dean of the College, Mason has overseen not only housing strategy but also major auxiliary services like UChicago Dining and the University Bookstore.
From opening Campus North and Woodlawn Residential Commons to bringing all undergraduates back onto the core of campus, Mason has helped redefine what community means at UChicago. “Now, students wake up, go to class, eat in dining halls, and attend events without ever having to leave campus,” he says. “It has fundamentally changed the student experience, and it creates a vibrancy on campus.”
Mason also helped reimagine UChicago Dining, whether by launching Saturday night dining in response to food insecurity among Odyssey Scholars or turning students' love for fresh berries into the now-beloved Berry Palooza celebration. “If there are things we can do to make students happy, we should do that,” he says simply.
Inclusivity has also been a hallmark of Mason’s work. He recalls conversations with Muslim students that led to the integration of halal offerings across campus dining halls, an example of his commitment to listening, learning, and evolving to meet students’ needs. “They helped us understand that kosher wasn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We worked together to build something better.” In recognition of these efforts, Mason received the Multifaith Advocate Award from the Association for Chaplaincy and Spiritual Life in Higher Education (ACLSHE, pronounced “axle”). The award honors individuals outside of formal chaplaincy roles who actively champion the inclusion of religion and spirituality as a meaningful component of campus life.
He also led the implementation of open housing for returning students, allowing individuals of different genders to choose to live together. Initially met with skepticism and pushback, the program is now standard. “It’s not even thought of as unusual anymore,” Mason says. “That kind of change takes trust, student partnership, and time.”
What sets UChicago apart, in Mason’s eyes, is not just its academic rigor but its culture of humility and kindness. “Our students are brilliant, but not academically arrogant. There’s a spirit of generosity toward each other and toward staff. That’s something special,” he reflects, describing scenes of students chatting with dining staff in Spanish or checking in on how someone’s day is going.
As Mason looks toward retirement, it’s the people he’ll miss most: “I’ve worked with incredibly smart, committed people who care deeply about this place. I've enjoyed great support, camaraderie, and had really interesting conversations.”
Over thirty years, Richard Mason’s work has helped reshape the physical and cultural landscape of UChicago by keeping the student experience front of mind and focusing on the small details that, over time, form a mosaic of lasting change. “When you take care of the small things,” he says, “the bigger things tend to take care of themselves.”