Brody told those assembled that "we are in the middle of a
revolution," and that the university is at "ground zero" in
today's "information explosion." Adapting to the forces of change
will be key to maintaining the university's relevance to society,
he said.
"I think we will witness the transformation of the university
from a physical campus...to a virtual campus," said the
53-year-old physician, engineer, and entrepreneur. "It will be a
university campus in which bits and bytes replace bricks and
mortar, one in which scholars and students can communicate and
collaborate electronically without the necessity of proximity.
"Such a network of scholars can preserve the essence of our
Hopkins 'hand-tooled' education envisioned by Dr. Gilman, one in
which the student is stimulated to learn by working closely with
a faculty member to find answers to unsolved questions," Brody
said.
Though solemnity marked much of the two-hour inaugural ceremony,
there were lighter moments, as when student council president
Charles Yang extended a "high-five" welcome on behalf of the
undergraduates (and noted that Bill and Wendy Brody, by
rollerblading at Freshman Orientation, had "won the ever-coveted
'cool' rating").
The Unified Voices, a choir comprised of staff members from the
Hopkins Medical Institutions, offered a rousing rendition of
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" (which MIT president Charles Vest referred
to later in the program when he advised his colleague and good
friend to "pick your mountains and your streams with great care,
and save your strength for the struggles that really matter.")
And the Peabody Symphony Orchestra Brass performed the world
premiere of a fanfare written by Peabody Institute director
Robert Sirota.
Flanking Brody on the Shriver Hall stage were four veterans of
the Hopkins presidency: Daniel Nathans (1995-96), William C.
Richardson (1990-95), Steven Muller (1972-90), and Lincoln Gordon
(1967-71). Brody told the four men that he was indebted to them
"for leaving the university in great shape," and led the audience
in a standing ovation for their combined 30 years of service to
Hopkins.
The four rose and clustered around Brody for the official
installation, when chairman of the board of trustees Michael
Bloomberg '64 placed the gleaming silver links of the
presidential insignia around his neck. (The names and portraits
of all the university's past presidents--a dozen in all--are
engraved on the links.)
Though acknowledging the financial and other challenges Johns
Hopkins University faces in the months and years ahead, Brody
concluded the historic afternoon on a note of eloquent
optimism:
"We have within our hands--now--the chance to build the new
academy, founded on an underpinning of mature experience, and
flown on the pinions of youthful idealism. For Hopkins, after
all, is at heart a young institution, still brash in our second
hundred years." --Sue De Pasquale
Belt-tightening at
Medicine
You'd think that new "medical czar" Edward D. Miller Jr. would
have enough to do serving as Medicine's CEO and dean of the
School of Medicine without continuing in his former role as
director of Anesthesiology. But that's exactly what Miller
intends to do, in a symbolic gesture to medical faculty and staff
that it's time to "get real" about belt-tightening.
With the fiscal year starting in July, hospital administrators
are looking to cut spending by $55 million--an average of 8
percent. Hospital president Ronald R. Peterson says he expects to
reduce the hospital's workforce by 300 people over the next year.
Peterson believes the downsizing can be achieved though "managed
attrition," though he has not ruled out the possibility of
layoffs.
Though Hopkins Medicine launched a re-engineering effort last
year designed to enhance the quality of care while cutting costs,
change has not come quickly enough to meet the "downward pressure
on our revenue stream," Peterson says.
In June, Maryland will shift 330,000 current Medicaid recipients
into managed care organizations, where costs are more tightly
controlled. The shift could result in a 25 to 30 percent drop in
income for Hopkins Hospital, Peterson estimates. Hopkins must
also do more to compete with aggressively priced suburban
hospitals, which have been charging up to 30 percent less than
Hopkins because they don't have teaching epxenses or as many
uninsured patients, Peterson said.--SD
A spiritual rubbing of
elbows
On a cold night in February, student representatives from more
than a dozen religious groups--Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and every
flavor of Christianity--sat down in a circle on the floor of
Newman House and talked candidly about aspects of their faith
they find troubling.
Most were surprised to find that the issues they had been
grappling with individually--such as the role of women in their
respective faiths--were issues their friends had been grappling
with as well, says Julie Schames '99, a representative of the
Jewish Students Association. "I learned a lot about myself," she
adds.
University chaplain Sharon Kugler, who coordinated this second
annual all-night "Lock-In" involving members of the Johns Hopkins
Interfaith Council, says the encounter left her "glowing for
days" afterward. "It was very powerful," she says. "It is quite
rare that you can put representatives of all the major world
religions together in one room and get students to see each other
beyond the label of their religious traditions, as fellow
students and as friends."
Since Kugler joined the university in 1993, the Interfaith
Council has nearly doubled in size to include student
representatives from 15 religious organizations.
Students on the council say that though discussions sometimes
grow heated, there's a spirit of cooperation that allows them to
wipe the slate clean with each meeting. Many say that their
participation has helped to strengthen their own religious
convictions.
"In trying to explain your own faith to others, it forces you to
look more closely at your own faith, in what you believe and what
other people in your faith believe," says Tapan Kant '98, a
representative of Students of Hinduism.
Plans are currently underway to establish an Interfaith Center
near the Homewood campus. "It's something we very much need,"
Kugler says. "It will provide an opportunity for both the
figurative and literal rubbing of elbows of these different
cultures and traditions. And only good things can come of that."
--SD
New GM at WJHU-FM
The founding president of Vermont Public Radio has been appointed
general manager of the Hopkins-owned WJHU-FM. Raymond G. Dilley
assumed the radio station's top spot in January, replacing Dennis
Kita, who left last summer for a position with the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting.
"The first priority is to put the station on a very firm
financial footing," says Dilley, who was CEO of Vermont Public
Radio from 1976 until 1993, when he became director of National
Public Radio's international service.
Dilley's arrival at WJHU-FM came 18 months after the station
switched from a mixed news and classical music format to a
weekday lineup dominated by news, public affairs, and cultural
affairs programming. As expected, the format change led to an
increase in expenses, causing the station to run a $130,000
deficit for fiscal year 1996. Since then, the financial picture
has brightened; in fact, the station's most recent fundraising
drive in February was a record-breaker, bringing in $151,000.
"That pushes the income line in the right direction," Dilley
says.
Equally encouraging are surveys showing record audiences--
including an average last summer of 117,000 a week and 5,900 at
any one time.
"All the indicators really look good," says Dilley. "Audience
numbers are at an all-time high. Fundraising is at an all-time
high. What we see is tremendous potential. Now we just have to
tap it." --SD
A century of music for the Peabody
Symphony
The Peabody Symphony Orchestra, a group that has risen from the
ashes more than once during its 100-year history, celebrates its
centennial on April 6 with a performance--fittingly enough--of
Gustav Mahler's demanding Resurrection symphony.