Former U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin has joined Johns Hopkins University as a Distinguished Senior Fellow, where he will participate in seminars, debates, and conversations around politics and current events.
Cardin, who retired from public office at the end of his third Senate term last January, will hold a joint appointment at the university’s 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,” Cardin said in a statement. “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 received praise from leaders at the SNF Agora Institute as well as the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences where the institute is housed.
“Senator Cardin brings a lifetime of invaluable experience in public service and democratic leadership,” said Hahrie Han, Inaugural Director of the SNF Agora Institute, in a statement. “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, in a statement. “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.”
Cardin will also participate in conversations around foreign policy and democratic resilience globally as part of his joint appointment with SAIS. That school’s dean also welcomed Cardin to his fellowship there.
“We are delighted to welcome Senator Cardin to SAIS and, in particular, to our Foreign Policy Institute,” said James B. Steinberg, dean of SAIS, in a statement. “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.”
Cardin served in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to 2025, including as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 2024, he announced he would not run for reelection, and he was ultimately succeeded by U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks.
Previously, Cardin represented Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Last year, he donated his political papers to Johns Hopkins University’s Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, with the materials spanning his nearly 60-year legislative career.
