Inagural Director: The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute
- Employer
- Johns Hopkins University
- Location
- Maryland, United States
- Salary
- Not Specified
- Date posted
- Oct 18, 2017
View more
- Position Type
- Faculty Positions, Humanities, Other Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Other Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Employment Level
- Tenured/Tenured Track
- Employment Type
- Full Time
Inaugural
Director
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins
University
The Johns Hopkins University seeks to appoint the inaugural Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Jointly conceived by the University and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) and established with a $150 million gift from the Foundation, the Agora Institute will forge new ways to restore the open and inclusive dialogue that is essential to healthy democracies. The Institute will be housed in the University’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and will serve as a leading academic and public forum bringing together experts from a range of fields—including but not limited to political science, sociology, history, neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and ethics— to design and test mechanisms for improving dialogue, social engagement, and democratic governance.
The Institute draws its inspiration from the ancient Athenian
agora, a central space in the life of the city that grew with
Athens to become a place of conversation and debate for citizens –
and thus to function as the heart of democratic governance. Because
of the robust exchange of ideas it encouraged, the agora remains an
enduring symbol of the promise of open, engaged, and productive
civic discourse.
The Director will have an extraordinary opportunity to build and
shape the Institute’s faculty, programs, physical space, and
reputation. S/he will oversee the development of the Institute’s
vision, its programs, and its building, and over the Institute’s
first five years will lead the recruitment of 10 distinguished
faculty who will have joint appointments in Arts and Sciences
departments and potentially in other Hopkins divisions, along with
cohorts of Visiting Fellows who will contribute to the Institute’s
programs and to the broader life of the University.
The Institute Director will report to the Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. It is anticipated that the Director will have her/his primary academic appointment in an Arts and Sciences department and will be a tenured member of the Krieger faculty. Depending on the Director’s background, secondary appointments in other departments within Krieger or in other divisions of the University such as the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the School for Advanced International Studies are possible and indeed would be emblematic of the Institute’s trans-disciplinary intent. The Institute’s work will be informed by an international advisory board whose background and expertise will further its mission. With input from the Dean and from the President and Provost, the Director will appoint this board and will convene its meetings.
The inaugural Director of the SNF Agora Institute at JHU will possess academic stature worthy of appointment as full professor and a public reputation that will attract attention to the Institute. S/he will exemplify both the open, inter-disciplinary, and trans-national ethos of the Institute and will have a track record of academic leadership and effective management of human, financial, and programmatic resources. The Director will have shown a strong commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion in an institutional setting as well as the experience or willingness to address issues of institutional equity.
JOHNS HOPKINS AND THE KRIEGER SCHOOL
Johns Hopkins was founded as the nation’s first research
university on the principle that pursuing big ideas and sharing
knowledge makes the world a better place. The University has
approximately 6,500 faculty, 6,200 undergraduate students, and
17,600 graduate students arrayed across 230 degree programs at the
baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Perennially ranked as
the nation’s leader in annual research expenditures, the University
maintained its reputation through excellent academic leadership,
committed faculty and students, innovative international programs,
high levels of collegiality, and exceptional interdisciplinary
collaboration. In fiscal year 2016 the University’s operating
budget surpassed $5 billion. Its endowment is approximately $3.3
billion.
The Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, established at the
University’s founding in 1876, is the core institution of Hopkins’
Homewood campus. Comprising 22 departments and 33 centers,
programs, and institutes, the Krieger School is home to over 300
full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty, 3,598 undergraduates,
and 926 full-time graduate students, as well as 32 postbacs and
3,198 Advanced Academic Programs students. For more information,
see www.jhu.edu and
https://krieger.jhu.edu.
Johns Hopkins University has retained Opus Partners to
support the search for the Institute’s Director. Please send
recommendations, nominations, or questions, in confidence, to
lead Partner Craig Smith, PhD, via email: craig.smith@opuspartners.net.
The search will continue until the Director is appointed, but in
order to receive the most thorough consideration,
candidates should submit their materials (c.v. and cover letter as
separate PDF files) before December 1,
2017. The University intends to make this
appointment effective no later than July 1, 2018.
The Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer committed to recruiting, supporting, and
fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and
students. All applicants who share this goal are
encouraged to apply.
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