An anonymous benefactor has committed $100 million to the
Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World campaign,
supporting critical initiatives in medicine, public health
and the humanities.
The gift, to be divided among a number of
construction, renovation, research and other projects, is
the fourth nine-figure commitment in the history of the
Johns Hopkins Institutions, and the third in the current
campaign.
"This gift is breathtaking not only in size but also
in scope, addressing a number of our most important
priorities," President William R.
Brody said. "Our benefactor knows what our teachers do
for students, what our doctors do for patients and what our
researchers do for humanity and has chosen to support our
work in all three arenas. This incredible generosity will
have a very, very significant impact for many decades to
come."
Specifically, the gift will be directed to:
Assist with construction of a new
children's tower at
The Johns
Hopkins Hospital, replacing
facilities, more than 40 years old, that are overcrowded
and outmoded and do not easily accommodate today's medical
technology. Construction is to begin this year on the 12-
story 560,000-square-foot tower, which will include a
pediatric trauma center, 205 inpatient beds, 10 operating
rooms, outpatient care for oncology and psychiatry, and the
Pediatric Clinical Research Unit, among other services. The
$275.5 million tower, due for completion in 2009, will be
part of a $725 million complex that will also include an
adult cardiovascular and critical care tower.
Support renovation of Gilman Hall,
the iconic main academic building on the university's
Homewood campus. The 90-year-old home of the university's
humanities departments — such as
History,
English,
Philosophy,
Near Eastern Studies,
Classics and
Romance Languages and Literatures — is
the intellectual heart
of the university. It is long overdue for state-of-the-art
classrooms and lecture halls, additional seminar rooms and
study areas, a new home for the university's archaeological
museum and upgraded mechanical systems. Selection of an
architect and contractor for the $35 million project is
under way.
Initiatives in the
School of Medicine and its
Institute for Cell Engineering, where
scientists are doing fundamental research that may lead to
the use of reprogrammed stem cells as treatments for
conditions ranging from Parkinson's disease, ALS and
diabetes to heart failure, stroke and spinal cord
injury.
A number of initiatives in the
Bloomberg School of
Public Health. The first institution of
its kind worldwide, the school is dedicated to protecting
health and saving lives — on a scale of up to
millions of people at a time — through pioneering
research, application of its expertise in programs around
the world and education of tomorrow's public health
scientists and practitioners.
The $100 million commitment lifts the Johns Hopkins:
Knowledge for the World campaign past its overall goal of
$2 billion in gifts and pledges, two years before the
campaign's close at the end of 2007. Commitments now stand
at $2.1 billion.
Though the overall goal has been met, essential
funding for a number of high-priority patient care,
research and education projects has not yet been completed,
Brody said. He said the campaign will continue to seek
support for such initiatives as the hospital towers; Gilman
Hall, a computational sciences building and the Charles
Commons project at Homewood; a building for the School of
Nursing and the Berman Bioethics Institute; buildings at
overseas campuses in Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China;
and endowment for student aid and professorships.
"Our many, many alumni and friends have been
extraordinary in their zeal for Johns Hopkins' mission of
making discoveries and putting knowledge to work for the
world," Brody said. "So far, 170,000 of them have made
gifts, large and small, to this campaign. They have our
most fervent thanks.
"We owe it to them, and to everyone on this planet who
benefits from the work of Johns Hopkins, to continue this
campaign," he said. "We owe it to them to ensure that we
give our faculty, physicians, students and staff all the
facilities and resources they need to truly make their mark
on this world."
The Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World campaign
began its silent phase in July 2000 and was launched
publicly in 2002. The campaign, which benefits both The
Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins Hospital and
Health System, has focused on endowment for student aid and
faculty support; research, academic, and clinical
initiatives; and building and upgrading facilities on all
Johns Hopkins campuses.