Hope M. Harrison, Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washinton University, received the   Bundesverdienstkreuz (Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse) in April 2025 for her work on the history of divided Germany and for promoting German-US relations. The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation.

Currently (2025-26), Hope is a  Senior Fellow at the Krupp Kolleg in Greifswald, working on a project about "Life and Death on Germany's Baltic Sea Border."

Professor Harrison is a Berlin Program Alumna (1991/92).