When Daniel Coit Gilman, the first president of Hopkins, took office in 1876, he articulated the mission of the institution to be the creation of knowledge for the world.
On Sept 13, Ronald Daniels was inaugurated as the 14th president of the university, vowing to extend that passionate pursuit of knowledge referenced by Gilman 133 years earlier.
Daniels' installation ceremony took place in Shriver Hall last Sunday afternoon. Among the approximately 700 attendees were students, faculty and alumni, as well as invited guests including U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Baltimore city Mayor Sheila Dixon and Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella.
Pamela Flaherty, Chair for the Board of Trustees, introduced the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of Hopkins and look forward to what lies ahead.
"Universities are ancient," Flaherty said. "And they are right up to the minute. We hold fast to our traditions and continually welcome new groups of young people, new ideas, and new leaders."
Flaherty praised Daniels' for his deep understanding of higher education and energy, and commented that his installation signaled a new beginning for Hopkins.
As the largest private employer in Maryland, Hopkins is integrated into both the local and state economies. Cardin, Maryland State Senator Nathaniel McFadden, and Dixon, spoke about the importance of Hopkins as a pillar of the Maryland economy, its contributions to civic and public service, and how Baltimore has and will benefit from the institution.
Dixon mentioned the support Daniels gave to her citywide initiative to find young people jobs this summer through the YouthWorks program, for which Hopkins hired 238 people. In addition, she mentioned that Daniels has met with the CEO of the Baltimore City public schools to extend partnerships between the schools and the university.
"When [Daniels] had his first meeting with me, he said something many should have warned him not to say to a mayor," Dixon said. "He said, 'How can Hopkins help?'""And of course, when you ask that to a mayor, we give you much to do," Dixon added.
Dixon expressed her confidence that Baltimore would benefit from Daniels' leadership by his commitment and role as provost at the University of Pennsylvania prior to coming to Hopkins.
To welcome Daniels to the Hopkins family, representatives for the undergraduate students, graduate students, admissions, alumni, faculty and health system spoke of their expectations of his presidency, and how he has already begun to fulfill them.
"Please be aware that we all have very high expectations of you," Fabian Bauwens, a graduate student in the department of political science, said. "But we also trust that you are indeed the right man for the position and believe you will be a wonderful president."
Dixon also commented that Daniels has "big shoes to fill", referring to William Brody, former president of the university who stepped down in December of last year.Concluding the comments of the afternoon were several speakers who Daniels has developed relations with throughout his professional career. They spoke about his ambition, energy, and constant flow of ideas.
Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, shared her experiences working with Daniels when he worked as her provost, prior to coming to Hopkins.
"He helped me take a university that was great, and make it even greater," Gutmann said. "He surpassed my expectations just as I know he will surpass yours."
Michael Trebilcock, Chair in Law and Economics at University of Toronto, and a former professor and colleague of Daniels described Daniels as a nonstop idea generator.
"During Ron's tenure as dean [at the University of Toronto], I was consulted into a state of exhaustion," Trebilcock said with humor.
"[These are] my parting words of advice to the Johns Hopkins community, going on my 25 years of shared experience with Ron," Trebilcock said. "Get ready for a 24/7 presidency and permanent gale force winds."
Harold Koh, legal advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State, also commented on Daniels' constant flow of ideas.Koh said that Daniels has two flaws: his handwriting is illegible, and he has so many ideas that no one can keep up.
While the speakers' comments were peppered with jokes, they each conveyed their respect for Daniels and his past work.
"In Ron Daniels you have found a leader of proven dynamism and decency, a man of guts, generosity, and excellence and a scholar of global range and vision, " Koh said.
The inauguration ceremony ended with the installation of the President by Flaherty, and Daniels' inaugural address.
In addition to Brody, two other former presidents, Steven Muller and William Richardson, were present at the installation.
In his speech, Daniels addressed the steps he hopes to take in order to strengthen the university. In order to craft an environment that supports individual achievement, Daniels plans to lay a framework for a workplace that welcomes staff and is well suited to foster discovery by faculty and students.He spoke of the need to develop a need-blind system for the undergraduate program at the university.
"We must have an admissions and financial aid program that ensures that student participation in our community is governed by the ideals of merit, and not by the accident of privilege," Daniels said.
To complete this commitment Daniels referenced the need to continually redouble the efforts for financial aid support for the graduate and professional students in the university.
Finally, he addressed the Baltimore community of which Hopkins is a part."[The commitment] to our community is manifest in so many different and profound ways," Daniels said.
He mentioned the role faculty, students and staff play in the Baltimore public school system, the contributions made by the Hopkins health system to address public health needs, and the resources invested in restoring Baltimore's east side.
"But there is still so much more to do," Daniels acknowledged.
The inauguration celebrations for Daniels included activities throughout the weekend, prior to the installation ceremony. The RD2.5K Presidental Fun Run took place on the morning of Sept.12, which was a noncompetitive jog through the Homewood campus inspired by Daniels' love of running.
Approximately 300 students, faculty, and staff participated.Other events included the Presidents' Day of Service, and "Convergence", a neighborhood block party in Charles Village, which Daniels attended.
The Office of Public Affairs for the university declined to comment on the total cost of the inauguration events.
