Johns Hopkins SAIS receives more than $50 million, largest combined gift in school’s history, to launch Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs
Johns Hopkins SAIS receives more than $50 million, largest combined gift in school’s history, to launch Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs
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The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) has received more than $50 million, the largest combined gift in the school’s history, to launch its new Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs.
Between conflicts in Russia and the Middle East, climate change and terrorism, and the fracturing of the European Union post-Brexit and NATO, the scale and scope of today’s international crises have reached heights rivaling the era of World War II.
"The creation of The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs could not be happening at a more important moment in our history," said Ronald J. Daniels, president of The Johns Hopkins University. "The center will teach the practice of statecraft for the 21st Century and will be profoundly relevant to political leaders for years to come."
Distinguished scholars, leaders and special guests joined the school at the Oct. 6 launch celebration that featured a panel discussion on "Geostrategy and Challenges Facing U.S. Foreign Policy" at the Willard in Washington, D.C. The center is named after former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, who said it opens at a crucial time in international relations.
"We are living in a period in which we are conscious of our divisions, but it serves to inspire us to our duties because the world is now as disordered as it has ever been," Kissinger said. “It is the first time in history that upheavals occur in every part of the world simultaneously and are connected with each other by rapid communication and by global economics." He added, "I am excited at the prospect of this center located in Washington, D.C. and drawing people from around the world to synthesize thought and political theories in developing leaders and strategies capable of dealing with contemporary global challenges."
Johns Hopkins SAIS Dean Vali Nasr said, "The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs will bring top academics, diplomats and statesmen together to discuss and develop stronger foreign policy strategies with an emphasis on geostrategy and an appreciation for history."
Kissinger was joined at the celebration by former three-term New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a former chairman of the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees, who led initial funding efforts to galvanize donations for the new international policy center named after his long-time friend.
"Henry has helped shape our history not only as a statesman but as a teacher. After all, he was a renowned scholar before he became a public official, and throughout his career he has never stopped learning or teaching. I’ve been lucky enough to know Henry and to learn from him, and now many more people will have a chance to exactly as I did. It really is an honor to recognize Henry for all he has done to build a stronger, safer, more stable world and to help future generations build on his work and extend his legacy," Bloomberg said.
Kissinger served as national security adviser and secretary of state in the Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford administrations. He negotiated nuclear weapons and anti-ballistic missile treaties with the Soviet Union and laid the groundwork for President Nixon’s breakthrough visit to China in 1972. He also negotiated for the United States at the Paris peace talks that led to the end of the Vietnam War.
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About Henry A. Kissinger Institute for Global Affairs
The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies will train future policymakers in long-term strategic analysis and in the disciplined application of historical lessons to contemporary international problems. The center will also serve as a focal point for scholarship and public debate on international affairs and policy. The discussion will be led by the center’s resident and visiting scholars, intellectuals and policy practitioners.
For more information on the center, visit kissinger.sais-jhu.edu.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today’s critical issues. For more than 70 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. The school offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, DC. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins.
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