The Word from the Bird
The Word from the Bird is a biweekly email newsletter distributed during the academic year to all current undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University. The newsletter features information that promotes student success, engagement, and development, including resources, programming, and announcements relevant to an undergraduate student audience.
Sign up for The Word From The Bird
Faculty and staff who are interested in receiving the newsletter can sign up online to be added to the subscriber list.
Past Editions
Spring 2026
- April 22: Spring Fair, pharmacy info, study spaces, and more
- April 8, 2026: Homecoming, Commencement countdown, and more
- March 25, 2026: Edible Book Festival, Commencement regalia, and more
- March 4, 2026: Spring Break, Commencement registration, and more
- February 19, 2026: Commemoration Day, BSC priority scheduling, MSEL renovation
- February 4, 2026: New BSC programming, Super Bowl celebrations, and more
- January 22, 2026: Spring welcome events, academic deadlines, and more
Fall 2025
- December 3: Lighting of the Quads, Winter Break, and more
- November 19, 2025: Lighting of the Quads, Fall Recess, and more
- November 5, 2025: FLI Day, spring registration, and more
- October 22, 2025: Hoptoberfest, Boo Jay Tuesday, and more
- October 8, 2025: New dining in the BSC, Blue Jay Safety Week, and more
- September 24, 2025: Family Weekend, extended LaB hours, and more
- September 10, 2025: Blue Jay Opening Day, Internship Academies, and more
- August 28, 2025: A first look at the BSC, academic deadlines, Welcome Weeks, and more
Spring 2025
- April 30, 2025: Special Finals Edition!
- April 23, 2025: Spring Fair, Commencement reminders, Move-Out, and more
- April 9, 2025: Commencement countdown, Spring Fair schedule, CSS Saturdays, and more
- March 26, 2025: Library furniture fair, Edible Book Festival, and more
- March 6, 2025: Spring Break, Commencement registration, and more
- February 21, 2025: Black history month events, a new campus wayfinding app, and more
- February 5, 2025: Super Bowl Watch Parties, Commencement Student Speaker Nominations, Hop Talks, and more
- January 22, 2025: Ice Rink returns, deadline for meal plan changes, and more
Fall 2024
- December 6, 2024: Lighting of the Quads, expanded study spaces, and more
- November 20, 2024: Thanksgiving meals, CSS Saturdays, and more
- November 6, 2024: Post-election space, FLI Day, and more
- October 23, 2024: Election Day resources, Hoptoberfest, Halloween, and more
- October 9, 2024: New belonging events, SOUL classes, and more
- September 26, 2024: Hopkins Votes events, Stellic launch, flu vaccine clinics, and more
- September 11, 2024: Voter registration, career fair, and Blue Jay Opening Day
- August 28, 2024: Academic deadlines, new study spaces, and on-campus celebrations
Submitting an Announcement
JHU staff, faculty, and students are encouraged to contribute announcements for consideration via our submission form. Please note that submitting an announcement is not a guarantee that it will appear in an upcoming edition of the newsletter. Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis by Student Affairs staff; barring special circumstances, published announcements will only run once, and we cannot guarantee that a submission will appear in the newsletter on a specific distribution date.
Submission guidelines
- All submissions should promote a resource, program, service, or announcement relevant to undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University.
- Submissions must include the name of the sponsoring department or organization, and a point of contact for questions or to request more information.
- If available, a link to a university webpage that contains more information about the announcement should be included.
Before submitting, make sure your entry is:
- Between 30 and 50 words in total length.
- Proofread and reviewed for accuracy.
- Submitted at least one week prior to the newsletter distribution date (exceptions will be reviewed by Student Affairs on a case-by-case basis).
We do not accept:
- Promotion for student organization activities. The Office of Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development (LEED) can help advise on how best to promote your registered student organization’s activities and events through Hopkins Groups; visit their website to learn more.
- Job postings. Use SMILE, JHU’s University Experiential Learning platform, to promote job opportunities and internships to students.
- Opportunities to participate in research studies. Those announcements can be submitted to the Hub to appear in their Today’s Announcements newsletter, which is distributed on weekdays.
- Information aimed at a smaller population of students (e.g., students enrolled in a specific major, or students who belong to a particular student organization). Submissions should be applicable and relevant to a broad audience of undergraduate students.
- Submissions on behalf of a private entity or corporate sponsor outside of Johns Hopkins University