Johns Hopkins is launching a policy school at its new center in the former Newseum in Washington, … [+] D.C.
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Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is opening a new School of Government and Policy that will be located at its recently opened Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The location is the former site of the Newseum, a museum of journalism and freedom of the press that closed in 2019.
The school is the first new academic division launched at Hopkins since 2007. It will join several other JHU units at the D.C. site, including the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the Carey Business School, and the Peabody Institute.
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The School of Government and Policy will include multiple academic areas – science and technology, engineering, medicine and life sciences, public health, and international affairs – that will be integrated to research and advance new approaches to government and prepare students to develop strategic policy solutions and government innovations.
“Anchored in our magnificent new home in the nation’s capital, the School of Government and Policy will bring novel expertise and insight informed by large-scale data sets to shape policy and address the challenges facing our nation and world,” Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels said in the university’s announcement.
Daniels described the new school as “part of a reciprocal connection between Baltimore and Washington that allows our Baltimore-based faculty and students to easily and effectively bring their ideas and expertise to Washington, while Washington’s policymakers and policy analysts more regularly engage with the vibrant communities of our flagship campuses in Baltimore.”
Initial plans call for the hiring of 35 full-time faculty over the next five years. Many of them are expected to hold cross-appointments with other academic units, thereby increasing interdisciplinary collaboration with the university’s Baltimore campuses.
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A search will soon begin for the appointment of the inaugural dean of the school, which is projected to serve 200-250 graduate students and offer coursework and other educational opportunities for undergraduate students. The first cohort of students will matriculate in the fall of 2026.
“A new School of Government and Policy at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center will unquestionably bolster the university’s impact on policy change and decision-making at the federal level,” added Keshia Pollack Porter, chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at JHU’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The university release said that “developing cross-disciplinary policy solutions to complex national and global challenges is one of the primary drivers for the creation of JHU’s new school,” likening it to its Coronavirus Resource Center, which provided systematic, updated information to experts and the public at large during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johns Hopkins University purchased the Newseum in 2019 for $372.5 million, and since then has spent more than $200 million to renovate the building into an academic center for learning, research, and public service. According the the university, it will house “scholars and researchers from all nine JHU academic divisions and cover a range of topics, including artificial intelligence and health policy, the arts and humanities, global health and gender equity, and much more.”
“We are honored that the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center chose to open a new space on Pennsylvania Avenue in the heart of our downtown,” said Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We have set the bold goal to win back our downtown by making Washington, D.C., a place for successful businesses and opportunity-rich neighborhoods. Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center brings a new hub for global leaders to convene, and new employment and educational opportunities to our downtown.”
Amtrak passengers faced delays of 30 to 60 minutes Sunday night because of power line issues along the Northeast Corridor, which provides service between Washington, D.C., and Boston, according to a statement released by the rail service.
Downed overhead wires affected trains operating from Washington’s Union Station to Boston’s South Station, according to Amtrak. Residual delays could occur due to crew shortages, Amtrak said in the statement.
The issues began earlier Sunday, when service was suspended on four tracks shuttling passengers between Pennsylvania Station in New York and William H. Gray III 30th Street Station in Philadelphia because of power issues, according to previous statements from Amtrak. As of 7 p.m., service on one of the four tracks was fully restored, while two tracks were operating at reduced speeds, and one remained out of service.
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Amtrak customers with reservations on affected trains will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or on another day, according to the statement. Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling the line’s reservation center at 1-800-USA-RAIL.
Collin Robisheaux can be reached at collin.robisheaux@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @ColRobisheaux.
WASHINGTON (7News) — After years of debate, false starts, and controversy, the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act was passed in the Senate with unanimous consent, paving the way for the Washington Commanders to return to D.C.
Now, local leaders are speaking about the benefits, and potential drawbacks, of a new football stadium in the city.
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
D.C. has scored a victory in its fight for self-determination just in time for the holidays. When the bill is signed into law by President Biden, D.C. will get to decide for itself what to do with the largest unused tract of land remaining in the District. I look forward to seeing the site transformed from crumbling blight to a productive and bustling complex that will generate significant revenue for the nation’s capital.
Throughout my career in Congress, I’ve prioritized transferring unused federal land to D.C. or the private sector, enabling the redevelopment of neighborhoods, generating tax revenue and bringing much-needed space to the District.
Maryland U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen
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Maryland has been the proud home of the Commanders for over two decades and we continue to believe that this partnership should continue long into the future. After working to level the financial playing field, and receiving assurances that should the team move they will redevelop the existing site in a manner that meets the needs of the community, tonight we supported the proposed land transfer legislation. We have always supported the District’s effort to control its own land, and through regional discussions and cooperation, our concerns with this proposal have been addressed.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser
Josh Harris, Managing Partner of the Washington Commanders
We are extremely grateful that our elected officials have come together on a bipartisan basis to give Washington D.C. the opportunity to decide on the future of the RFK stadium site. This bill will create an equal playing field so that all potential future locations for the home of the Washington Commanders can be fairly considered and give our franchise the opportunity to provide the best experience for all of our fans.
Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-Md)
Maryland should have the chance to compete to keep the Commanders here.
I opposed this bill in the House, and I oppose it today, because federal taxpayers should not be required to subsidize an NFL stadium by offering a 99-year lease of the RFK campus for free. That’s not fair to the taxpayers, and it’s not fair to Maryland because it undermines Maryland’s chance to compete on a level playing field.
But we can still win. Our site offers two nearby Metro stations, superior highway access, and a larger campus for parking. Now that the Dan Snyder era is over and the Harris team has brought winning football back to the DMV, a state-of-the-art indoor stadium would jumpstart redevelopment in the area and trigger property appreciation in short order. In addition to the ten games or so the Commanders play, the stadium could be used year-round for events like the Final Four and music concerts. Working closely with the Harris team–which owns much of the land around the stadium–we could create an economic win-win that would benefit the community, the region, the team, and the fans.
Maryland looks forward to working with the Harris team to make that vision a reality.
DC Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie
DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson
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We are grateful the legislation passed and that this large tract will not continue to deteriorate with a crumbling stadium on it.
At the same time, it is unfortunate that the Senate found unanimous consent to move the legislation concerning RFK, but is leaving untouched ten judicial vacancies. This continues to be a setback to the District’s public safety ecosystem. I would also be remiss to not emphasize that the continuing resolution underfunds, our police by $10 million.
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