Name Review Board

Website and process changes forthcoming – Expected late Spring 2023

The Johns Hopkins Committee to Establish Principles on Naming (CEPN), convened in 2020, was charged with developing substantive criteria and a process for Johns Hopkins University & Medicine to use to decide whether to rename or de-name a Johns Hopkins facility, professorship, scholarship, or other program, as well as other options beyond renaming and de-naming.

Composed of Johns Hopkins community members from across six divisions and institutes, CEPN met numerous times during the 2020-2021 academic year to review best practices of peer institutions and sought input from a broad range of student, faculty, staff, alumni, and community stakeholders over the course of eleven listening sessions.

After taking community feedback on a draft report posted in April 2021, CEPN submitted its final report to Johns Hopkins leadership in May, and at their June and October 2021 meetings respectively, the Johns Hopkins University, Medicine, Hospital and Health System Boards of Trustees approved the Committee’s recommendations, including the establishment of a permanent Name Review Board (NRB).

The NRB applies the values of Johns Hopkins University & Medicine and the criteria articulated by CEPN in its report as it fields requests to rename or de-name existing institutional features. All named features associated with the University and Health System, including named buildings, monuments, artwork, or programs, will be eligible for examination through the NRB process, and any Johns Hopkins student, faculty, staff, alumnus, patient, and/or any resident of the local community may make a proposal to reconsider a current named feature on any Hopkins campus.

Before submitting a proposal, please review the CEPN Report (PDF), which includes principles, procedures and considerations, as well as the NRB process (PDF).

If your proposal requires additional information, you will receive an email from the NRB. You also will be notified once your proposal is complete. Then, you may expect to hear from the NRB within four to six weeks of your submission with a status update. Please note, name(s) of submitter(s) will, absent unusual circumstances, not be revealed or posted during the process. 

If you have any questions, please email namereviewboard@jhu.edu.

Active and Validated Proposals

Only those proposals under consideration by the NRB Formal Review Committee will appear below. To provide input and/or materials in relation to any active, validated proposal, please fill out the online form.

NameStatus / Recommendation
Caroline Donovan Professorship in EnglishPending Formal Review Committee Review
Woodrow WilsonPending Formal Review Committee Review

Submissions Dashboard

Data as of 12/14/2022

  • Number of Proposals Submitted: 5
  • Number of Proposals Reviewed by the NRB Executive Committee: 4 (in progress)
  • Number of Proposals Reviewed by the NRB Formal Review Committee: 3 (in progress)
  • Number of Written Recommendations Issued: