Johns Hopkins Just Got the Largest Donation Ever Given to a Philosophy Department

A well-known investor is giving a $75-million donation to the Johns Hopkins University’s philosophy department, and the university is calling the gift the largest ever for a philosophy program. With the funds, the department will be named for William H. (Bill) Miller III, the donor, and plans to add nine full-time faculty members to its current 13 within 10 years, according to a Hopkins news release.

There are also plans to use the money to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and new courses that can attract undergraduates to the field, according to the release.

Big-name billionaires often bestow large gifts on prominent universities, but the donation from Mr. Miller, who was once a Ph.D. student in philosophy at Johns Hopkins, would make an impact in a field that receives less in donations compared with the billions that are routed to schools of health and STEM-related programs, the university’s president, Ronald J. Daniels, told The New York Times.

Mr. Miller said in the release that his personal interest in the field began after taking one philosophy course in college, which led him to read more on philosophy while he served as a military-intelligence officer in the Army during the Vietnam War. Mr. Miller is the founder and chairman of Miller Value Partners and was formerly the manager of the Legg Mason Capital Management Value Trust.