Lou Forster, the chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, announced a five-year extension of University President Ronald J. Daniels’ term in an email to University affiliates on Monday. His term will now extend through the year 2029. This extension will make Daniels the second longest-serving president in the University’s history at the end of his term.
The University announced in December the discovery of evidence suggesting that Johns Hopkins, long regarded as a staunch abolitionist, owned enslaved people. Research conducted by Professor of History Martha S. Jones under Hopkins Retrospective, a program launched in 2013 to investigate the history of the University, contended that, according to census documents, Hopkins had enslaved one person in 1840 and four people in 1850.
The University announced on June 16 that it will designate $10 million in funding in the form of grants to students across the University to help offset the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott announced on June 16 that the citywide mask mandate and state of emergency will be lifted as of July 1. Scott noted that businesses and workplaces will be allowed to continue their own mask mandates. These new mask guidelines came the day after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan did the same for the state.
The University announced in an email that Smita Ruzicka will be leaving her post as dean of student life on July 16 to work for Middlebury College. Allison Avolio, current deputy to the dean of student life, will serve as interim dean.
The University announced on June 2 that Alanna W. Shanahan will be stepping down as the vice provost for student affairs on July 9 to work for her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, as the athletics director. Kevin Shollenberger, the current vice provost of student health and well-being, will serve as interim provost.
University leaders announced updates to the University’s fall semester COVID-19 policies in an email to constituents on Wednesday. The broadcast reiterated the vaccination requirement for students announced in April and extended the mandate to all faculty and staff.
The Hopkins community mourns the death of Ahmed El-Morsy, who passed away on May 22, 2021. El-Morsy was a rising junior studying Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Hopkins announced the creation of the Johns Hopkins University Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team (JHU BHCST) to respond to behavioral and mental health crises on and around the Homewood campus on May 18. In an email to constituents, administrators promoted the initiative as part of the University’s commitment to reimagining public safety.
Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Jane Schlegel announced that the University will be offering COVID-19 vaccine clinics on campus in an email to the Hopkins community on May 18. Registration is open for the first clinic, which will be held in the Glass Pavillion on Thursday, May 20.
In an email to the Hopkins community on May 11, University President Ronald J. Daniels announced the launch of the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, a $150 million initiative devoted to expanding and diversifying Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) PhD programs. A gift from Hopkins alum Michael Bloomberg provided funding for this initiative.
The University announced on May 14 that billionaire, philanthropist and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will give the commencement speech for the Class of 2021 on May 27. This year will be Bloomberg’s third time as the commencement speaker.
The Coalition Against Policing by Hopkins (CAPH) organized a walkout against the University’s proposed private police force on May 3. In 2019, The Maryland General Assembly passed a bill allowing its creation, which Governor Larry Hogan subsequently signed into law. Student opposition culminated in a month-long occupation of Garland Hall, which ultimately ended in the arrest of seven students.
The University announced that it will adopt a $15 minimum wage, effective July 1, 2021 for the University and January 1, 2022 for the Hopkins Health System, with the timing for some health system workers dependent on the schedule of collective bargaining agreements, in an email to Hopkins affiliates on May 6.
In an email to the student body on May 7, University officials announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded its investigation into the noose found in the Stieff Silver building on July 2.
University leaders announced the creation of the Diverse Names and Narratives Project in an email to the student body on April 30. The task force aims to uplift the work of underrepresented individuals by making recommendations for renaming Charles Commons, the Undergraduate Teaching Labs and the Hopkins Outpatient Center buildings. The project is part of the University’s efforts to improve diversity and inclusion on campus.
In an interview with The News-Letter on April 28, University President Ronald J. Daniels discussed the University's plans to vaccinate its constituents, the Innovation Fund for Community Safety, efforts to increase sustainability at the University and the announcement that the Class of 2026 will not be able to choose their own roommates.
The 2020-21 academic year posed unprecedented challenges for students and faculty alike. During the fall semester, all classes and events were completely remote, and, while some students returned to campus in the spring, the majority of classes and activities remained online.
The Mattin Center will soon be leveled to make room for the construction of the new student center, which is scheduled to open in fall 2024. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, the same firm designing the Barack Obama Presidential Center, the four buildings that make up Mattin have served the arts community on the Homewood Campus since 2001.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosted “Addressing Hate During COVID-19” on April 23 to discuss nationwide calls for racial justice. The event was sparked by the conviction of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer charged with the murder of George Floyd last summer, and followed the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, in Brooklyn Center, Minn., on April 11.
