The inauguration of Robert Maynard Hutchins as the fifth President of the University of Chicago in 1929 marked the beginning of an extraordinarily vibrant period for the university and for American higher education in general. That same year, William H. McNeill arrived at the university to pursue his education. Here, McNeill creates a vivid portrait of the institutional life of the university at that time, showing how both life on campus and in Hyde Park revolved around the charismatic figure of President Hutchins.