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A Message From the Dean
Jessica P. Einhorn ’70
Year of
Agriculture
atSAIS
When I joined SAIS as dean
in June 2002, I was quickly
introduced to the summer
activity of planning for the
next year’s SAISPHERE. Each
year in July, a group of us come
together to select a topic for the
school’s flagship publication that would be of interest to
our SAIS community authors and our readers. On my
arrival, we initiated an issue on “Leadership,” and then
came “Diplomacy” and then “Regions.”
In those early years, the annual magazine
was a standalone project. But in
2004, when we celebrated SAIS’s 60th
anniversary, we discovered the sense
of community that comes from sharing
a special occasion. It was the seed that
sprouted into a new practice during my
deanship.
Today, SAISPHERE has evolved into
a publication that explores the subject
we choose as a substantive theme for
the academic year. These “Year of” top-
ics are reflected in events, large and
small, hosted by all the academic parts
of the school as well as by the dean—
frequently with philanthropic support
to facilitate a major academic conference
or academic travel by students.
These themes have taken root because
the soil of SAIS is fertile with curiosity,
entrepreneurship and grassroots
activities.
Each theme is meant to highlight
a subject that is of great importance
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