Jessica P. Einhorn
SAIS Dean Looks for Ways to Improve
Leadership, Academics and Philanthropy
by John Shaw
When Jessica P. Einhorn was approached by a search committee from the Johns Hopkins University about becoming dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), she prepared for the interview by carefully studying a large package of materials about the school. A graduate of SAIS, Einhorn was very familiar with the school’s history and traditional programs.
“But as she reviewed the catalogues and brochures and reflected on the role of a school such as SAIS in the post-9/11 world, her interest in leading such a prestigious institution soared.
“I sat at home and read and by mid-afternoon, I was so excited. Every class that I read about I wished I could sit in on. The mission of SAIS never seemed more relevant. And the Johns Hopkins connection was terrific. The administration there is just top notch. And when I later met the faculty and the deans at SAIS, everything just rolled,” Einhorn said in an interview with The Washington Diplomat.
“I decided this was what I want to do. It’s not a steppingstone. It’s a capstone. In every life and career there are seasons. This is the job in which I can take all that I’ve learned in my life and my career and give back.”
Einhorn became the dean of SAIS on June 1, 2002, succeeding Paul Wolfowitz, who left SAIS to become deputy secretary of defense and is now president of the World Bank.
A native of New York City, Einhorn is an expert in global capital markets, public finance and portfolio risk management. She is also the first SAIS graduate to serve as dean.
Einhorn received her bachelor’s degree in 1967 from Barnard College at Columbia University, her master’s in international affairs in 1970 from SAIS, and a doctorate in politics from Princeton University in 1974.
She held positions at the Treasury and State departments as well as the International Development Cooperation Agency of the United States before beginning a 20-year career at the World Bank, from where she retired in 1999.
From 1996 to 1998, she was managing director of the World Bank in charge of the financial management of the bank and its activities in resource mobilization from the public and private sectors. She assumed this position after serving as vice president and treasurer of the bank, a position she assumed in 1992.
SAIS is one of the world’s premier graduate schools of international affairs. Founded in 1943 by Paul H. Nitze and Christian Herter, SAIS has been a division of Johns Hopkins since 1950. It has campuses in Washington, D.C., Bologna, Italy, and Nanjing, China. Currently, SAIS has 530 students in Washington, 180 at the Bologna Center, and 100 at the Nanjing Center. The school also has 60 full-time faculty and 130 adjunct faculty members.
Einhorn said that SAIS’s Washington location provides important access for students to federal government offices, embassies, research organizations, multinational corporations, international organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as libraries, theaters, museums and restaurants.
“The key to SAIS is location. To be anchored in Washington D.C. is a huge advantage,” she said.
Einhorn added that SAIS attracts students from all over the world who want to learn about the intricacies of international affairs. Forty percent of SAIS students come from outside of the United States, representing more than 65 countries, and nearly three-quarters of the entering students have worked or studied abroad.
Einhorn said that as SAIS enters its seventh decade, it remains committed to providing an education that combines practical training with a curriculum that emphasizes economics, foreign languages and regional studies.
To graduate, SAIS students must pass a sequence of six international economics classes and achieve proficiency in at least one of 16 foreign languages. They must also pass coursework in their program of concentration, which includes international relations, regional studies and emerging markets, international development, and international economics. In addition to conferring degrees, SAIS houses a number of research centers and projects focusing on the study of international relations.
Einhorn pointed out that more than 12,000 SAIS alumni have assumed leadership positions in the private and public sectors, including more than 130 SAIS alumni who have served as ambassadors.
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