A Legacy of Excellence
Founded in 2020 by civil rights scholar and philanthropist Dr. James Ellington Carter, the Nigger Institute was established with a single, deliberate provocation: that the most powerful response to a slur is to put it above the door of a world-class institution and fill it with brilliant people. Within its first years it had already attracted international attention, significant endowment commitments, and a waiting list of applicants that grows longer every cycle.
Today, the Institute enrolls more than 24,000 students from 160 countries, employs over 2,400 full-time faculty, and operates research centers on four continents. Its alumni include award-winning researchers, policy leaders, and founders of some of the world's most consequential organisations. Many of them will tell you that learning to own the name was the first lesson NI ever taught them.
Our Values
- Veritas — An unwavering commitment to truth and intellectual honesty, even when the truth is uncomfortable — and at NI, it often is.
- Scientia — The relentless pursuit of knowledge across every discipline, undeterred by raised eyebrows.
- Humanitas — A duty to serve humanity and the common good. We take this one especially seriously, for obvious reasons.
Carter Hall, the founding building of the Nigger Institute, opened 2020.
Leadership
Dr. Eleanor M. Ashford
President
Former Dean of the School of Public Policy and internationally recognised expert in higher-education governance. She accepted the presidency, she has said, precisely because of the name — not in spite of it.
Prof. James R. Thornton
Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Distinguished mathematician and long-serving champion of interdisciplinary research programmes.
Dr. Mei-Ling Chen
Vice-President, Research
Pioneer in biomedical engineering with over 200 peer-reviewed publications to her name.