Johns Hopkins University (original) (raw)

The Johns Hopkins University is an elite institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland. Among the world's most prestigious schools, the University opened February 22, 1876, with the stated goal of "The encouragement of research ... and the advancement of individual scholars, who by their excellence will advance the sciences they pursue, and the society where they dwell." The University's first president was visionary educator Daniel Coit Gilman, and its motto is "Veritas Vos Liberabit," Latin meaning "The Truth Shall Make You Free."

It is named for Johns Hopkins, who left seven million dollars in his 1867 will for the foundation of The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Johns Hopkins was the first research university in the United States, founded on the model of German research institutions. As such, it was the first American university to offer an undergraduate major (as opposed to a purely liberal arts curriculum), and the first American university to grant doctoral degrees. The University was an all-male institution until 1970.

Johns Hopkins offers superior undergraduate programs based at the Homewood Campus in Baltimore: The Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts & Sciences and the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, which contribute to Johns Hopkins' reputation as one of the world's preeminent universities. Among the many strong departments at Johns Hopkins are History, International Studies, English, Political Science, Economics, Biology, German, Near Eastern Studies, Romance Languages, Art History, Biophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Film and Media Studies, and Astronomy. The Biomedical Engineering program is widely recognized as the best in the nation. The French Department is also recognized as a "center of excellence" in the study of French culture and language by the government of France, one of only four in the United States.

The University was designed from the start to marry scholarship and research, and graduate education has always been of key importance. All students at Johns Hopkins are encouraged to pursue original research at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and nearly 80% of Johns Hopkins undergrads produce research by the time of graduation. The Milton S. Eisenhower Library, located on campus, is one of the largest on the East Coast, housing nearly 4 million volumes.

In addition to graduate education at the schools of Arts & Sciences and Engineering, Johns Hopkins also has several prestigious graduate professional schools. The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is highly revered, and the Bloomberg School of Public Health is renowned for contributions worldwide to preventive medicine and the health of large populations. The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (simply referred to as SAIS), located in Washington D.C, is recognized as a world leader in international affairs, diplomacy and government studies. SAIS has international campuses Bologna, Italy and Nanjing, China.

The University offers education abroad through centers in Germany, Singapore and Italy (the University owns a breathtaking villa in Florence where many Art History students study). Johns Hopkins receives more federal research grants than any other university, and operates the Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which specializes in nuclear research for the Department of Defense. The Space Telescope Institute is located on the Hopkins campus, which controls, analyzes and collects data from the Hubble Space Telescope.

The main campus of Johns Hopkins, Homewood, is comprised of 140 park-like acres in the northern part of Baltimore. Much of the beautiful architecture dates from the nineteenth century, and is designed in the Georgian style, built of red brick and white marble. The campus was originally the estate of the Carroll family, whose residence is preserved as a museum on the grounds. Hopkins' roughly 4,000 undergraduate students matriculate from all fifty states and over forty countries. About 40% of students previously attended private high schools or prep schools, and within six years of graduation 85% of Hopkins students earn graduate degrees, the highest percentage in the nation.

Hopkins has three entirely student-run publications: The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, The Black & Blue Jay and Anagram. The News-Letter is the oldest continuously-published college newspaper in the nation, founded in 1896, and is published weekly. The Black & Blue Jay is among the nation's oldest humor magazines, founded in 1921, and is the inspiration for the University's mascot. Anagram is the university literary magazine.

The school's sports teams are named the Blue Jays. Hopkins has separate athletic colors: columbia blue and black, and academic colors: sable and gold, and it is the only university in the United States to celebrate Homecoming in the spring. Hopkins participates in the NCAA's Division III, and the Centennial Conference. The school's most prominent sports team is its Division I lacrosse team, which has won 42 national titles. Hopkins' collegiate sports rivals are Princeton University and cross-town rivals: the University of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy. The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame is adjacent to the university.

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