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Inagural Director: The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute

Employer
Johns Hopkins University
Location
Maryland, United States
Salary
Not Specified
Date posted
Oct 18, 2017

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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