Open to Debate’s partnership with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University brings together two organizations with a shared belief: democracy works best when people have the opportunity to hear, question, and understand ideas different from their own.
The partnership was designed to take that mission beyond the abstract and put it into action. Together, we set out to develop a series of eight live debates over two years, taking place in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., which would be recorded and distributed widely through Open to Debate’s media platforms. These debates would tackle some of the biggest questions facing society today, bringing students, faculty, experts, and the broader public into conversations where disagreement is not something to avoid, but an opportunity to learn.
The goals set by "The Hopkins Forum" series are as follows:
By combining Johns Hopkins’ academic prestige and influence with Open to Debate’s national media platform and debate expertise, the partnership extends these conversations from the university stage to audiences far beyond it.
Ron Daniels, the President of Johns Hopkins University, is a prominent advocate for civic engagement on campus and founded the SNF Agora Institute in 2017 to help strengthen global democracy through open inquiry and various models of civil discourse, including debate. His vision became the catalyst for a collaboration with Open to Debate, which brought the expertise to produce high-quality live debates on society’s most pressing issues, along with an expansive distribution network to bring those conversations to audiences worldwide.
Within the span of three months, our two organizations mobilized to develop a series’ brand identity, national press announcement, and strategic framework, while planning the inaugural January 2025 debate, The Future of the Supreme Court.
Roles were quickly defined, with each partner bringing distinct strengths to the collaboration. Open to Debate provides editorial direction, debater recruitment, marketing and communication strategy, and award-winning media production, in close coordination with the SNF Agora Institute. Johns Hopkins University contributes world-class academic resources, interdisciplinary expertise, and direct connections to students, faculty, and alumni. These team roles have been renewed and refined with each successive debate.
Maintaining a four debate per year cadence with lean teams has made logistics our biggest challenge. Securing high-caliber debaters requires much persistence and maneuvering, particularly when experts’ schedules are booked months in advance. Coordinating their availability with both partners and in-demand venues adds additional complexities. To meet these challenges, the teams continually adapt timelines, update marketing schedules, and explore alternate speakers while maintaining a high bar for expertise and diversity of perspective. Frequent, clear communication has been critical to our success.
Together, we have planned and executed two live debates per semester, featuring renowned experts such as Ambassador Jeff Flake, Rumman Chowdhury, Doctor Mike Varshavski, Andrew Yang, Dr. Kate Biberdorf (aka “Kate the Chemist), Nobel Laureate Simon Johnson, Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and Former CDC Director Tom Frieden. Each debate has been supported by a robust multimedia campaign encompassing national press outreach, custom invitations to reporters and influencers, and targeted paid promotion across social media, community press, and public radio.
For each debate, The Hopkins Forum has created a premium student experience, featuring a pre-event dinner, priority access to the debate’s audience Q&A, and a post-event ‘meet and greet’ with the debaters. We have also extended the experience to remote audiences through campus watch parties, the Hopkins at Home alumni network, and on occasion, public livestreams.
"The Hopkins Forum" Debates (to-date)
Jan 2025: The Future of the Supreme Court
May 2025: Can the U.S. Outpace China in the U.S. Through Chip Controls?
Sep 2025: Debating the Legacy of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dec 2025: Tech Titans or Tyrants: Should the U.S. Government Break Up Big Tech?
Feb 2026: Will AI Make Work Obsolete?
May 2026: Is the Scientific Enterprise Too Risk-Averse?
As we approach our seventh debate, the partnership is actively delivering on its original vision. The Hopkins Forum continues to evolve through the immense trust and relationships built by our two teams, and the close alignment of our mission.
Since launching in January 2025, The Hopkins Forum has transformed six live debates into high-profile convenings for university students, faculty, public policy leaders, government officials, and business and technology executives. The series has also drawn esteemed journalists from influential outlets including The New York Times, Politico, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker, demonstrating its growing relevance to the national conversation.
But the forum’s influence has extended far beyond the live debate stage. Through Open to Debate’s expansive distribution network, the recorded debates have been broadcast on hundreds of national public radio stations, with a combined potential audience of more than 4.3 million listeners. Across YouTube, podcast platforms, and social media, The Hopkins Forum debates have also generated more than 3.2 million digital impressions, bringing rigorous, civil debate to audiences around the world.
However, the partnership’s most powerful result lies not in the scale of its reach, but in its impact on how audiences think, bringing the forum’s mission to life. Among surveyed live attendees, 73% identified as promoters of the experience. Even more significantly, 79% reported learning something that may have changed their minds or challenged their thinking. At a time of deep polarization, groupthink, and declining trust, The Hopkins Forum is promoting critical learning and demonstrating that open-minded dialogue can still expand perspectives.
