Dear Members of the Brown Community,

With the federal government transition, a range of new executive orders and policy statements affecting higher education institutions have been issued from the White House and federal agencies. Uncertainty about how to interpret these statements and actions is creating anxiety among members of the Brown community in multiple areas, such as the flow of federal funding for research; anything to do with diversity, equity and inclusion (however defined); visas and international travel; and issues related to immigration. New executive orders continue to emerge and may affect other operational areas.

In particular, we know that numerous questions have arisen concerning the temporary pause in federal agencies’ disbursement of certain federal grants and loans that was ordered in the memorandum issued by the Office of Management and Budget yesterday, January 27. Much remains unknown about the scope and implementation of this and other executive actions, the interaction of those orders with applicable law, and the impact on Brown. The University should know much more in the coming weeks and months as federal guidance related to the orders becomes available.

Offices across Brown are actively evaluating all federal activity related to higher education, and we are writing to offer assurances about two things: the first is our steadfast resolve to fulfill our purpose of teaching and conducting research, and the second is that we are doing all we can to understand and communicate the implications of the orders for affected communities and operations at Brown.

Core to our mission is “advancing knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry," and we remain committed to protecting the work that we do every day. We stand for academic freedom. Faculty and students must be free to study, examine and debate subjects of their choosing without restriction. We stand for sustaining an environment of mutual respect. All members of our community, no matter their backgrounds, experiences and points of view,  must be able to work, learn and live without fear of harassment or discrimination. We always follow the law. But we are also prepared to exercise our legal right to advocate against laws, regulations or other actions that compromise Brown's mission.

Our administrative leadership team is working actively to closely assess the situation and provide information and support to members of our community who are directly affected. We have a working group, led by Provost Francis J. Doyle, thatcontinues to closely assess the orders coming out of Washington, D.C. We have a strong team of colleagues, including those in Government Relations, the Division of Research, Office of General Counsel, and Finance and Administration, among others, and we are consulting with higher education groups and academic experts to determine best practices.

Along with our educational associations, we are vigilantly reviewing policy statements to assess their potential impact. In some cases, this means assessing emerging guidance from the federal government and related agencies on how to understand and apply any new policies, and in other cases it means awaiting guidance, or evaluating fast-changing conditions to understand updates and/or reported legal challenges to the guidance. It's important that departments and offices at the University avoid taking independent or pre-emptive actions without consulting with your academic dean or vice president overseeing your administrative area.

We understand that this is a moment of tremendous uncertainty, and I'll reiterate that we are communicating directly with affected communities as information becomes available. We are taking advantage of regularly scheduled meetings to provide updates and answer questions, including meetings with faculty, deans, chairs and center and institute directors, administrative leaders, and others.  

The Division of Research will send more guidance to faculty later today with instructions for principal investigators for research who are receiving notices from the federal government related to their grants. PIs should follow those instructions for responding to federal notices. For others, we encourage you to email provost@brown.edu with questions to ensure that the University continues to respond to the changing legal landscape in a coordinated and consistent manner.

While we may not be able to respond immediately to questions given the evolving national circumstances, your questions will help us develop informational resources that we can share with members of our community. One such resource is an FAQ from the Office of Global Engagement posted earlier this month onResponding to Government Requests Regarding Citizenship or Immigration and Community Members' Needs for Resources.

We want to thank you for all you do as a member of the Brown community. We remain focused on our mission of education and research, and supporting all who live, work and study at Brown.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President

Francis J. Doyle III
Provost