A Johns Hopkins history professor watches $400 million in new buildings rise while classrooms remain scarce. The SNF Agora Institute, funded by a $150 million Greek shipping fortune, opened with a $100 million Renzo Piano design that ballooned during pandemic inflation. Meanwhile, a $250 million student center replaced an arts building barely older than his 1997 Honda.

At the university's 150th anniversary convocation, trustees and donors praised 'openness and transparency' while the professor noted the glass building's 'Airport Sublime' architecture—more Dubai tower than Greek democracy. The new board chair, a private equity managing partner, seemed an odd choice to run a university. The professor wondered about a retired Navy admiral who once sat on Theranos's board.

With admissions below 6 percent, Johns Hopkins builds monuments instead of classrooms. The new student center offers dance studios and an esports lounge but no teaching space for 65 departments educating 9,100 students. The professor sees a university that 'sucks up and punches down,' spending millions on architecture while disciplining Gaza protesters. He calls it America's First Research University in name only.