Dear Johns Hopkins Community,

In 2013, we launched a bold strategic vision for Johns Hopkins, the Ten by Twenty, which would steer our institution through the remainder of the decade. The ambitious goals we set together were shaped by conversations with more than 1,000 of you, and your ideas and efforts have driven many of our extraordinary successes in the years since.

Now, as 2020 approaches, it’s time to take stock of how far we have come and to dream together, once again, about the institution’s future.

Early next semester, I will start a series of focused conversations with faculty, students, and staff across the university to hear your thoughts on our achievements and the challenges we have not yet addressed under the Ten by Twenty’s four priorities: One University, Individual Excellence, Commitment to our Communities, and Institution Building. Questions we might take up in each of these areas include:

• Have we accomplished our aim of knitting together One University, and what are the obstacles that still stand in the way of meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration?
• Does our undergraduate experience truly stand among this nation’s best, and have we sufficiently shored up the rigor and excellence of our selective doctoral programs?
• How might our new DC home at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue enable us to bring research to bear on shaping national debates, and should we be playing a different role on the global stage?
• How can we continue to requite our mission to be both in and truly of Baltimore, and what must we do to remain a true partner to our neighbors and communities?
• And, in the wake of a record-setting capital campaign, have we established a base of resources that will allow us to advance our boldest aspirations for education, service, and discovery?

In partnership with deans, administrators, and student leaders, I plan to convene over 50 conversations in the first quarter of 2020 to hear your perspectives on these and other important issues. Through these dialogues, we will seek to develop a clear-eyed understanding of where we stand against the goals we articulated seven years ago.

We have regularly assessed and reported on our progress toward the Ten by Twenty goals in the spirit of full transparency and accountability. Your insights will add new context and nuance to our understanding of how far we’ve come and what remains to be done. Your divisional, departmental, and individual assessments and ideas will also help us to think boldly about the goals to set for our university in the years ahead.

I invite you to take part in the conversation in person, through the comment form on this page, or by emailing [email protected] with your thoughts or request to meet. The original Ten by Twenty plan and progress reports to date are available online and we will regularly update this page to share information about opportunities for input.

Thank you for all you have done to advance our work and lift Johns Hopkins to new heights over the past seven years. I look forward to working with you to set our course for the future.

Sincerely,
Ronald J. Daniels

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