Renaud Dehousse named inaugural rector of Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe

The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies has announced the appointment of Renaud Dehousse as the inaugural rector of SAIS Europe in Bologna, Italy, and vice dean of SAIS. He will begin the role in January 2024, after the completion of his term as president of the European University Institute.  

"We are so thrilled to welcome Renaud Dehousse to Hopkins at this critical moment for SAIS Europe," said Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels. "His extensive experience and proven leadership will be instrumental in forging new connections across every part of our university and in further securing SAIS Europe's role as a vibrant hub for scholarship, education, public policy formation, and cross-cultural dialogue."

Added SAIS Dean James B. Steinberg: "Dr. Dehousse's distinguished scholarly career and his long involvement in European and transatlantic public policy, along with his deep academic administrative experience, make him an exceptional addition to our leadership team. We are delighted that he has agreed to lead SAIS Europe at this pivotal time in international affairs, and I look forward to working with him to fulfill our vision for the future of SAIS Europe as the go-to institution for research, teaching, and public engagement on pressing global challenges."

Dehousse, whose research has covered multiple aspects of European law and politics, has served as president of the European University Institute since 2016. He comes to Johns Hopkins with a connection to the SAIS community, having spent the first year of his life in Bologna while his father, Jean-Maurice Dehousse, studied at SAIS Europe.

"I am delighted and humbled to return to Bologna as SAIS Europe's new rector," he said. "The institution's legacy of fostering critical thought and global perspectives resonates deeply with the spirit of this remarkable city."  

Consistently ranked as one of the top institutions for graduate study in international relations, Johns Hopkins SAIS currently enrolls more than 1,100 students in more than 20 programs. It has more than 20,000 alumni in leadership roles around the world, of whom 8,500 spent at least one year of their education at the SAIS Europe campus in Bologna.

SAIS Europe was founded in 1955 with a focus on international affairs and the frameworks for transnational cooperation and peace at a critical moment in the development of the post-war world order. Today, SAIS Europe's campus location in Bologna offers a unique bridge to different parts of the world, not only in direct partnership with SAIS' flagship campus in Washington, D.C., and longstanding program in Nanjing, China, but also at the intersection of academic, research, and convening activities in Europe, neighboring countries in Africa and the Mediterranean basin, and beyond.   

SAIS Europe recently announced a transformative $100 million gift from philanthropists James and Morag Anderson—the largest-ever private contribution to a university in Italy—that will open doors to new opportunities for students and faculty alike and help SAIS Europe evolve into a global hub for research and collaboration. 

"SAIS Europe holds a special place in the hearts of so many of us," said James Anderson, a 1981 SAIS Europe alumnus who is currently the chair of the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe Advisory Council and a member of the university's board of trustees. "I join others in full support of the new rector as he leads efforts to realize ambitious goals for SAIS and SAIS Europe."

 SAIS Professor Peter Lewis led the international search for the new rector.

"The pool of candidates we had for the SAIS Europe rector position was truly exceptional, comprising highly accomplished and competitive individuals," he said. "It was a challenging task, but we are delighted that in Renaud we've found someone who embodies the vision and leadership qualities needed to excel in this role."  

Before becoming EUI president, Dehousse was a professor and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair of European Law and Policy Studies at Sciences Po Paris, where he founded and directed the Centre for European Studies. He chaired Sciences Po's board from 2013 to 2016.

After studying law at the University of Liège in Belgium, he obtained a doctorate at the European University Institute. Before joining Sciences Po in 1999, he taught at the European University Institute, then at the University of Pisa. He was a visiting professor at the Universities of Florence (Cesare Alfieri), Cologne, Rome (LUISS), Lausanne, the College of Europe, and at the University of Michigan Law School.