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Introducing The Gibbs Center for Innovation
A Historic Gift to Launch a New Era of Innovation at Hopkins School
Dear Friends of Hopkins,
We are writing to share truly historic and transformative news—an announcement that will shape academic life at Hopkins School for generations to come.
We are profoundly honored and deeply grateful to announce that Hopkins has received a gift of $50 million from alumnus John Malone, Class of 1959, to establish a new Center for Innovation. This is the largest gift in the School's history and a testament to Mr. Malone’s enduring belief in our mission to prepare “hopeful youths” for the future.
This extraordinary act of generosity will dramatically accelerate our ability to fulfill the goals of Hopkins’ strategic plan, Hopeful Youths.
“Hopkins changed my life,” Mr. Malone said. “As technology reshapes the world, I want Hopkins students to have the skills, curiosity, and confidence to lead. My hope is that the School continues to be a national leader in education for the next three centuries.”
The Gibbs Center for Innovation
Named in honor of Josiah Willard Gibbs, Class of 1854—a pioneering scientist whom Albert Einstein later hailed as “the greatest mind in American history”—the facility will serve as a beautiful heart for the campus. Completing the Quad on its south side, the 32,000-square-foot Center will be a hub for all students and disciplines. It will greatly enhance research, technological innovation, and interdisciplinary learning, ensuring that Hopkins’ tradition of rigorous scholarship is enhanced by ever-evolving tools and ideas.
In recent years, we have faced a good problem: some of our signature programs such as the Hopkins Authentic Research Program in Science (HARPS) and Robotics have outgrown their current homes. The new Center addresses that issue by including numerous state-of-the-art features:
- A 2,500-sq-ft Research Center for HARPS.
- An expansive design and competition studio for Robotics, now serving more than 130 students.
- A multi-room instructional suite for Computer Science.
- An innovation and fabrication studio for engineering, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary projects.
- A centralized Learning Center providing academic support for students across grade levels.
- A domed Immersive Theater providing 360-degree visualization for science and humanities courses.
- A Digital Media Production Studio.
- An IT Help Desk.
- Flexible classrooms, breakout rooms, and a two-story student commons and exhibition hall.
- LEED certification, including geo-thermal heating and cooling.
We are excited to begin what will be a three-year journey, working with S/L/A/M Collaborative, the talented architects who designed the Malone Science Center, Heath Commons, Thompson Hall, and the Academic & Performing Arts Center. We anticipate breaking ground in late 2026 and opening the new Center in the Fall of 2028. Importantly, a portion of Mr. Malone’s gift will be used to endow the building’s long-term upkeep and several faculty positions, securing the facility’s impact on future generations and allowing us to focus fundraising efforts on the remaining priorities of the Hopeful Youths plan.
This building is more than just labs and studios; it is a commitment to providing the resources and opportunity for every Hopkins student to become an innovator, researcher, and problem-solver. It will equip them with the knowledge, critical thinking, and entrepreneurial mindset necessary for a world changing faster than ever.
Click to watch the announcement video at the top of this page, featuring reactions from our community. This official project page will be updated in real-time as construction progresses.
We are profoundly grateful to John Malone '59 for his extraordinary partnership and vision, which continue to transform Hopkins School.
With deepest thanks and great excitement for the future,
| Matt Glendinning Head of School |
Gwen Evans ’84 President, Committee of Trustees |
Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
Hopkins School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.