Seeking A 'Shared Vision'

Hopkins' New Leader Wants Unifying Identity For Huge University

Finally, in discharging all of our various roles, we must not lose sight of the multiple communities of which we are part.

Johns Hopkins is not only at Baltimore. Johns Hopkins is not only in Baltimore. But, in word and in deed, Johns Hopkins is truly and proudly of Baltimore.

This commitment to our community is manifest in so many different and profound ways: in the role that our faculty, students and staff play in our public school system. In the many contributions that our schools and health system have made to address the pressing public health needs of our city. In the energy and financial resources we have invested in the very ambitious and worthy project that is aimed at restoring our city's east side as a safe, prosperous and vibrant community.

But there is more we can do and we must do. We are an island of earned privilege in a sea of pressing need. Our ideas, our energies, our passion and optimism can contribute so much to the community of which we are part. How we galvanize our intellectual and moral strengths for the betterment of our community, and for the betterment of ourselves, stands as yet another compelling challenge that we must address. ...

Our university has never been cautious about learning. About innovating. About sharing. About healing. About discovering. And that, my friends, is the soul of our university.

Ronald J. Daniels is the 14th president of the Johns Hopkins University.