Our bond at a moment of challenge

Dear Johns Hopkins Community: 

Johns Hopkins holds a particular place in the firmament of American, indeed, international higher education. Founded in the nation’s centennial year, Johns Hopkins became America’s first research university. A place dedicated to the creation of new knowledge and to the dissemination of that knowledge to our students and the world beyond. 

In the ensuing nearly 150 years, we have not wavered from our foundational commitment to the research ideal. Research is our hallmark, and its essential instruments—freedom of inquiry and expression, academic excellence, marshaling of evidence, rigorous and open debate, and an embrace of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints—form our core values. 

Critical to our success has been our more than eight-decade partnership with the federal government. The funds allocated by the federal government on a competitive, meritocratic basis to us and other American research universities have extended and improved the quality of human life, driven innovation, educated the next generation, created new industries and jobs, ensured the safety of the nation, and fueled the remarkable success and productivity of the American economy. 

For this reason, the unprecedented challenges and pointed uncertainties of the current moment for research universities are perplexing and distressing. Over the past six weeks, we have experienced a fast and far-reaching cascade of executive orders and agency actions affecting higher education and federally sponsored research. What began as stop work orders or pauses in grant funding allocations has morphed into cancellations and terminations. Grant reviews at various agencies have been suspended, which means that grant applications submitted by our colleagues are not being evaluated or recommended for funding in a timely fashion. We anticipate that in the coming months we will see other areas where federal actions may result in a significant reduction in research work, though at this time, we are not certain of their scope and magnitude. 

Because of our researchers’ extraordinary success in competing year after year for merit-based grants and contracts, we are, more than any other American university, deeply tethered to the compact between our sector and the federal government. Last year, for instance, nearly 50% of our total incoming funds was derived from research conducted on behalf of the federal government. The breadth and depth of this historic relationship means that cuts to federal research will affect research faculty, students, and staff and will ripple through our university. 

Given what we are seeing, it is necessary to plan for challenges ahead. We are, as always, in this together, and we will need a systemwide approach to address whatever systemwide shocks we and our university peers may sustain.

As we shared with you previously, Johns Hopkins is participating in litigation aimed at halting cuts to existing NIH grants. While we are awaiting the disposition of that case, we will continue to advocate to our elected representatives for the tremendous impact of the longstanding research partnership between universities and the federal government, and for the principles and values undergirding our mission. 

However, at this time, we have little choice but to reduce some of our work in response to the slowing and stopping of grants and to adjust to an evolving legal landscape. There are difficult moments before us, with impacts to budgets, personnel, and programs. Some will take time to fully understand and address; others will happen more quickly. 

For our colleagues involved with medical and public health work around the globe, the unexpected stoppage of foreign aid funds has resulted in the suspension and now termination of most of our USAID grant portfolio at Jhpiego, the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs, and the School of Medicine, which totals more than $800 million. Because of these funding terminations, we are in the process of winding down USAID grant-related activities in Baltimore and internationally, including impactful work to provide maternal and infant care, prevent the spread of diseases, and provide clean drinking water.

In response to these developments and other challenges on the horizon, we are taking thoughtful steps to reduce expenses and to budget prudently, while avoiding any precipitous actions. Our finance team is working closely with deans and divisional budget officers to develop various scenarios for potential funding reductions and to assess the effects on all aspects of our operations. Our aim is to focus on our mission, to double and re-double our commitment to excellence, to be thoughtful and transparent in our planning and budgeting, and to consult with our shared governance bodies. We will communicate more with you as these contingency planning efforts develop. 

We are taking a similar approach to understanding other administration directives, including those involving diversity, equity, and inclusion. At Hopkins, we have long sought to model the best of a vibrant pluralist community. We aspire to be a place that fiercely opposes discrimination, supports equality of opportunity, and welcomes diverse people, perspectives, and thought as essential to the effective discharge of our truth-seeking function. 

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA v. Harvard and other legal precedents, we believe the law is clear in supporting the pursuit of this pluralistic ideal, and in protecting the exercise of free speech and academic freedom in classrooms, curricula, and scholarly inquiry. The laws and regulations that protect against discrimination of any kind are also clear, and we are scrupulous in following them for the benefit of every member of our community. After the SFFA decision, we undertook a review of our current policies and programs, including our admissions processes, and made modifications to ensure compliance with the court’s decision. Our Office of General Counsel will continue to advise us regarding any further adjustments needed to ensure the constitutionality of our activities.

As we have been in the past, we are resolute in our commitment to facing the challenges before us together as one university. We will continue to advocate vigorously and passionately for the importance of our community’s work, to protect the flame of rational inquiry and debate that burns so brightly here at Hopkins, and to be guided by our mission and the excellence, conviction, and humanity of each of you. 

This ethos has carried us through daunting challenges of the past. Time and again, we have met the moment, sought new opportunities, and charted our course forward with determination and vision. We will do so again, and as we enter our 150th year, this must be our solemn pledge and commitment to one another.

Sincerely, 

Ron

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