In a moment when others are retreating from investment in the humanities, a $75 million gift to the Department of Philosophy in January 2018 is helping Johns Hopkins University recognize the indispensable role of the humanities in modern life.

The gift is from Wall Street icon William H. “Bill” Miller III and is believed to be by far the largest ever to a university philosophy program. It is also the largest to Johns Hopkins for any department in the humanities. It will promote powerful, cross-disciplinary collaboration between philosophers and other scholars, support the growth of the department through new faculty, create endowed professorships, and broaden and intensify faculty research, including support for junior faculty members. Miller’s gift will also ensure support for young scholars, adding $10 million to endowed funding for philosophy graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and allowing us to attract more undergraduates to the study of philosophy.

Miller is part of a community of donors who helped Hopkins raise nearly $250 million in support of the humanities and social sciences fields during the university’s Rising to the Challenge campaign. He and others recognized the indispensable role of the humanities in their careers.

“I attribute much of my business success to the analytical training and habits of mind that were developed when I was a graduate student at Johns Hopkins,” he says. “I am delighted to show my gratitude by helping to move the department to its rightful place among the best in the country.”

Photo: William H. “Bill” Miller III