For nearly 10 years, Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University (known as the DIAP) has grounded our work in classrooms and laboratories in a diversity of perspectives, ideas and experiences. I am writing to outline the next steps Brown will take to sustain the diverse and inclusive community that is essential for advancing knowledge and discovery in service to the nation and the world. 

In June, the Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Board (DIOB), which has been responsible for assessing the University’s progress related to goals set forth in the DIAP, submitted its final public memo outlining reflections from the past year and making suggestions for the future of diversity and inclusion at Brown. As we do each year, Provost Francis J. Doyle III and I have provided a response to the DIOB’s thoughtful work, which has been a key part of the University’s commitment to accountability for making progress on the DIAP for almost a decade. Both documents are now available to members of the community on the DIAP website’s Annual Reports page. We are grateful for their efforts, and we recognize that the board’s experience and deep insights will be eminently valuable in establishing a future vision for diversity and inclusion at Brown.  

While the DIAP was a key part of a fundamental transformation of Brown, there is still work to be done to ensure that our University continues to be a campus where all faculty, staff and students enjoy the benefits of opportunity, belonging and access. With this in mind, I have charged an Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion at Brown with developing recommendations for a framework that will sustain the diverse and inclusive community that is key to academic excellence. The committee will also propose a draft action plan to implement this framework and lay the groundwork for the next decade of extraordinary academic achievement at Brown. The committee will complete this work and share its recommendations with me by May 1, 2026.

Importantly, the committee’s work will be informed by input and engagement with students, faculty, staff and alumni. More information about engagement opportunities will follow in the coming weeks and months. I encourage all members of our community to contribute their valuable thoughts, perspectives and experiences to this effort. The creation of a new action plan will offer an opportunity for a broader conversation across campus about the meaning and significance of the concepts of diversity and inclusion as drivers of our academic mission. 

Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Matthew Guterl will chair the ad hoc committee, which will include faculty, staff and students. The new committee will draw from the institutional knowledge and experience of former members of the DIOB representing the Faculty Executive Committee, the Undergraduate Council of Students, the Graduate Council of Students, and the Staff Advisory Council. In addition, the committee will include representation from the Warren Alpert Medical School, including one medical school student nominated by the Medical Student Senate; a staff member from the Office of the General Counsel; and a staff member from the Office of Military Affiliated Students. A complete membership list follows:

• Tori Ashton, undergraduate student
• Meredith Dawson, Director of Financial Planning and Analysis in the Division of Campus Life
• Michael Grabo, Senior Associate General Counsel
• Carleia Lighty, Director of Auxiliary Services
• Mac Manning, Director of the Office of Military Affiliated Students
• Stanley Nicholson, graduate student
• Jai-Me Potter Rutledge, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the School of Public Health
• Catherine Rodarte, Associate Director of Admissions and Recruitment, MPA Program at the Thomas J. Watson School of International and Public Affairs
• Christopher Rose, Professor of Engineering
• Brenda Rubenstein, Director of Data Science, Vernon K. Krieble Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics
• Andre Willis, Associate Professor of Religious Studies
• A representative of the Medical Student Senate (TBA)

The ad hoc committee will be staffed by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

I look forward to receiving the committee’s recommendations, and the work we will do together as a unified community. 

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President