After retiring from Congress earlier this month, nine-term U. S. Representative John Sarbanes is joining Johns Hopkins University.Hopkins announced this week that Sarbanes, 62, is joining the university’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute for 2025 as its first distinguished practitioner in residence.The institute was announced in 2017 after the Stavros Niarchos Foundation committed $150 million to launch an effort with Hopkins to build an academic forum dedicated to “strengthening democracy by improving civic engagement and civil discourse worldwide.” It’s expected to move this year into a new home that’s nearing completion on Wyman Park Drive. According to the JHU Hub, Sarbanes will collaborate with SNF Agora faculty, fellows and JHU students to explore ways to rejuvenate democratic institutions and processes and overcome political polarization. He will also consult on issues such as healthcare reform and environmental stewardship, and will be a regular presence on campus.“If we don’t figure out how to talk to each other with respect and humility, there’s no way to fix our democracy,” the Hub quoted him as saying.Sarbanes represented Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District from 2007 to 2025. For seven years, he served as chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force in the U. S. House of Representatives. The son of former U. S. Representative and Senator Paul Sarbanes, he announced in 2023 that he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024 and was replaced this month by Sarah Elfreth. Paul Pineau is stepping down as Johns Hopkins University’s senior vice president and general counsel.“Welcoming John Sarbanes as our first distinguished practitioner in residence is a significant milestone” for the SNF Agora Institute, inaugural director Hahrie Han told the Hub. “His dedication to democratic principles and his proven ability to navigate and reform complex political landscapes will greatly enrich our community. We are excited to support his efforts to foster a more inclusive and resilient democracy.”Hopkins also announced this month that Paul Pineau, the university’s senior vice president and general counsel since 2015, is leaving to become the next general counsel and secretary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.As general counsel, Pineau has advised JHU’s board and leadership on a range of legal matters and assisted in development and implementation of university policies. He will start his new position on March 10. According to the Hub, Hopkins’ Deputy General Counsel Tiffany Wright will serve as JHU’s general counsel on an interim basis while the university searches for Pineau’s successor.