NGO / Non-Profit Associations
"Advancing research and fostering scholarly excellence."
“Our Founding Vision”
In 1876, our inaugural president, Daniel Cost Gilman, posed a fundamental question at his inauguration: *What is the purpose of this institution?* His response laid the foundation for our enduring mission:
“The promotion of research… and the advancement of individual scholars, who through their excellence will advance the sciences they pursue and the society in which they live.”
Gilman championed the inseparable link between teaching and research, asserting that a great university must excel in both. He also emphasized the transformative power of sharing knowledge and discoveries to improve the world.
For over 140 years, we have remained steadfast in upholding this vision. Today, we stand as a hub for exceptional, driven scholars and a global leader in education and research. Our distinguished faculty mentor students across a broad spectrum—arts and music, humanities, social and natural sciences, engineering, international studies, education, business, and health professions. The same faculty, alongside their colleagues at the university’s Applied Physics Laboratory, have secured our position as the nation’s top recipient of federal research and development funding annually since 1979.
This distinction is fitting for America’s first research university, an institution that reshaped higher education in the United States.
