Dear Alumni, Friends, and Partners of Heidelberg University,

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

We are pleased to invite you to our Virtual Heidelberg Lecture with speaker Dr. Mackenzie "Mack" Zalin, Librarian for Classics, Comparative Thought and Literature, Jewish Studies, and Modern Languages and Literatures in the Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University.

Topic: From Heidelberg to Baltimore: What Johns Hopkins University Owes the Oldest German University

When: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Time: 1pm ET, 10am PT, 11am MT, 12pm CT, 19 Uhr CET

Where: Online via Zoom (you will receive the link when you register)

Register below 

Dr. Mackenzie "Mack" Zalin, Librarian for Classics, Comparative Thought and Literature, Jewish Studies, and Modern Languages and Literatures in the Sheridan Libraries at Johns Hopkins University, will give a fascinating lecture tracing the deep historical connections between Heidelberg University and Johns Hopkins University.

Discover how Johns Hopkins drew inspiration from the oldest university in Germany from its founding in 1876—a relationship that helped define modern American higher education over that last 150 years. Mack will delve into archival stories of international scholarly exchange, the influence of German educational ideals, and the ways in which key figures shaped research, teaching, and knowledge production on both sides of the Atlantic. Attendees will learn how the legacy of Heidelberg and other German research universities laid the foundation for innovation at Johns Hopkins, impacting fields from humanities to medicine and beyond.

We hope you can join us for what promises to be an engaging and insightful lecture.

Herzliche Grüße

Katja Simons, Executive Director, Heidelberg University Association