University embraces complete history

Professor Stuart W. Leslie has been commissioned to write the first scholarly history of Hopkins by the University itself. The Editorial Board would like to commend not only the University for sponsoring the book but also Professor Leslie for undertaking the effort to uncover and compile the long history of the institution. The News-Letter has been devoted to recording the history of Hopkins as it has happened for more than 115 years, but an in-depth retrospective look at events can reveal a wealth of information and interpretation that is not accessible in the fleeting world of journalism. It is also a brave choice by Hopkins to hand over the reins of an official history and face the possibility of unsavory details coming to light.

Any prospective student at Hopkins that attends an admissions event in the auditorium of Mason Hall is presented with the history that Hopkins wants them to see: a series of captions written across the backs of the seats inform visitors of the diseases cured by Hopkins doctors, inventions conceived by Hopkins engineers and other notable achievements by Hopkins students, faculty and alumni. One might expect a University to commission a history to be just as self-promoting as the facts on the backs of Mason Hall chairs, but in giving the project to Professor Leslie, they have opened themselves up to scrutiny from all angles. Professor Leslie’s first book was on the military involvement of Stanford and MIT in the Cold War, and he pulls no punches in tying them to the Military-Industrial Complex of the time. Hopkins has had its own controversies of late concerning government-sponsored drone research and the choice of Leslie shows that the school is unafraid of what he may write about.

While much media attention is given to the various breakthroughs by Hopkins affiliates, significantly less is given to the negative or controversial impacts that the university has on the community, the nation and the world. Decisions made by the school have repercussions that hit just as hard across the world as across Charles Street, and a history that explores the bad along with the good should be invaluable to Hopkins’ future planning.

The University’s apparent appreciation for transparency even applies to the process of creating the history, which has been heavily advertised. Leslie will speak about his project on Nov. 5 in the same Mason Hall auditorium filled with congratulatory blurbs. He will also take questions during his presentation, and the Editorial Board encourages students interested in the history of the university or concerned about the possibility of bias to attend the event and speak up.