Former U.S. Senator Ben Cardin is joining Johns Hopkins University as a Distinguished Senior Fellow for 2026.
Cardin will hold a joint appointment with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Foreign Policy Institute of the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
“Democracies are fragile and depend upon responsible civic engagement. I look forward to working with the Hopkins’ community to promote respectful discussions, listening as well as advocating, mindful of the goal to achieve broader support for our community challenges,” Cardin said.
Cardin served in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to 2025, including as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Earlier in his career, he represented Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. Across these roles, he worked on issues including democratic accountability, international cooperation, health care, environmental protection, and public service.
“Senator Cardin brings a lifetime of invaluable experience in public service and democratic leadership,” said Hahrie Han, Inaugural Director of the SNF Agora Institute. “We are honored to have him join our community to work with students and other constituencies seeking to promote informed engagement across difference in civic and political life.”
“I am pleased to welcome Senator Cardin to the Krieger School,” said Christopher S. Celenza, James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. “His more than five decades of experience, leadership, and public service will inspire our students and faculty alike. We look forward to his participation in seminars, emerging policy debates, and conversations around critical current events. Known for his championship of civil and human rights and his ability to work across party lines, the senator will be a welcome asset to our SNF Agora Institute.”
Through his joint appointment with SAIS, Cardin will also contribute to conversations on foreign policy and democratic resilience in a global context.
“We are delighted to welcome Senator Cardin to SAIS and, in particular, to our Foreign Policy Institute,” said James B. Steinberg, dean of SAIS. “Senator Cardin’s appointment gives our students, faculty, and other members of our community a remarkable opportunity to engage with a pathbreaking policy leader with deep expertise in foreign affairs and experience from a distinguished career as an elected official.”
About the SNF Agora Institute
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University is an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through research, teaching, and practice. Founded in 2017 with a visionary $150 million gift from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the institute draws inspiration from the ancient Athenian agora, a space for open debate and deliberation, to bridge divides, expand civic engagement, and foster informed, inclusive dialogue as the cornerstone of robust democracy.
SNF Agora organizes its work around three pillars:
- Discovery: Advancing transformative, multi-disciplinary research to address democratic decline and identify sources of resilience.
- Design: Collaborating with practitioners to develop usable knowledge that turns academic insight into real-world impact.
- Dialogue: Creating spaces for inclusive civic discourse, public convenings, and educational programs that empower citizens to engage meaningfully in democracy.
Through its work, the SNF Agora Institute empowers citizens with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas to participate meaningfully in civic life. Its scholars and practitioners collaborate to address challenges to democracy, bridge divides, and cultivate democratic resilience through research, innovative interventions, and public engagement.
About Johns Hopkins SAIS
For more than eight decades, students have come to the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) to learn from renowned faculty and distinguished policy
practitioners, build their professional networks, and gain hands-on work experience.
The school was founded in 1943 by Paul H. Nitze and Christian A. Herter, statesmen who sought to prepare the next generation of leaders to meet the complex challenges the U.S. and the world would face following World War II. A distinguished faculty of scholars and policy experts developed an innovative curriculum that emphasized international politics, economics, and foreign languages. That program, combined with skills training and experiential learning, helped prepare students to make a difference in government, civil society, and the private sector. In 1955, SAIS established a campus in Bologna, Italy, and in 1986, the school initiated one of the first Western university programs in the People’s Republic of China in Nanjing.
Today, SAIS carries on this tradition, preparing students for the emerging challenges of the 21st century. Johns Hopkins SAIS’ living alumni number more than 25,000 graduates, a network of professionals working across the globe. From private-sector executives to entrepreneurs, leaders of nongovernmental organizations to ambassadors, and international media correspondents to energy consultants, SAIS alumni are defined by their innovative thinking, analytical approach, and policy expertise. They are leaders in their fields, lifelong students committed to the betterment of the world.
For more information, visit sais.jhu.edu or on X @SAISHopkins
