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Ronald J. Daniels
President
A university on America's Main Street.
The dream of bringing higher education to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., harbored by former presidents and educational reformers alike, dates back more than a century. This summer, that dream became a reality when we opened the doors to our university's new D.C. home, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Ave.
Pennsylvania Avenue is called America's Main Street for good reason. The thoroughfare not only links the three branches of American government but also serves as a critical site for civic expression and a shared national culture. Newly inaugurated U.S. presidents walk along it as they head to the White House. Citizens across the political spectrum gather there to make their voices heard. And several of our nation's most storied museums line its sidewalks.
Our new building now joins this hive of civic and cultural activity. Consisting of 10 floors of glass-walled classrooms, open meeting areas, and a stunning atrium, the space is a portal connecting the best of our university to the heart of global governance. A bustling hub of multidisciplinary education, research, and convenings, it will enable us to bring the ideas and discoveries of our faculty and students directly to policymakers, political leaders, and practitioners. It will amplify our ability to educate the next generation of civic leaders and innovators. And as a nexus for trusted academic experts, global leaders, policymakers, and artists representing a broad spectrum of viewpoints and expertise, it will be a forum for vigorous conversations about the most important issues of our day.
These functions represent the indispensable role that universities play to spur discovery and foster global democracy. This role is more important than ever as we confront challenges ranging from rising authoritarianism to the threat of future pandemics to the rapid ascendance of artificial intelligence. Hopkins in D.C. is an opportunity to further realize our conviction that universities can and should harness their capacities in the discovery and diffusion of knowledge to promote human flourishing in the United States and around the globe.
In short, it represents the next phase of realizing our university's mission to "bring the benefits of discovery to the world."
We are able to aspire to this role thanks to the visionary philanthropy of the center's namesake, Johns Hopkins alumnus Michael R. Bloomberg, whose career reflects the impact of data and evidence-based policy on our collective life.
That we are able to undertake this service on America's Main Street is a generational opportunity. I hope many of you will make time to visit us, whether for a class, a Peabody concert, a convening on global policy with national leaders, or just for a cup of coffee with a view of the U.S. Capitol as your backdrop.
Ronald J. Daniels
President
