Last week, the Corporation of Brown University held its May meetings, which take place leading into Commencement and Reunion Weekend. A wide variety of topics related to academic excellence and strategic planning were discussed in committees and meetings of the whole, as well as actions taken, which are detailed below.

The Corporation received engaging presentations from Amanda Anderson, Director of the Cogut Institute for the Humanities, and Kim Cobb, Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES). Cogut will move into a beautifully renovated Andrews House in time for the fall semester, and IBES is marking its 10th anniversary. Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Grace Calhoun provided an update on the division’s success in engaging more than 90% of Brown undergraduates in wellness and community programming over the past academic year.

SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Corporation approved with enthusiasm the recommendation of the Brown University faculty to establish the School of International and Public Affairs, effective July 1, 2025. The approval initiates a yearlong strategic planning process necessary to formalize academic programming, operating structures and leadership. It follows years of planning and development during which the University has expanded research expertise, education and academic initiatives in international and public affairs, anchored in the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. The institute will transition into the School of International and Public Affairs, with faculty, staff and scholarly activity from the institute forming the bedrock of the new school.

The vote of the Corporation followed unanimous approval of the proposal by the Academic Priorities Committee (APC) earlier this year, followed by a positive vote by the Brown faculty. The APC was persuaded that the school will build on the successes that have been realized by the Watson Institute over more than a decade: a substantial expansion in tenure-stream and lecturer-track faculty; a growing number of research centers and initiatives that foster globally focused research and support extensive programming; an expansive and vibrant network of cross-campus partnerships; programs for postdoctoral fellows, senior fellows and military fellows that enrich both teaching and research; a rigorous MPA degree program that prepares graduates for leadership through analytical training and experiential learning; and a restructured undergraduate concentration that equips students to be engaged global citizens. Strategic investments in both the educational and research missions of the Watson Institute have laid a strong foundation, and a continuing commitment to increasing breadth and depth creates the opportunity for a School of International and Public Affairs to thrive, firmly embedded in the Brown ecosystem and distinctively positioned among its peers.

The school will serve as the home for an outstanding MPA program that provides graduates with deep knowledge of policy and highly developed analytical skills that enable them to address pressing societal challenges — along with an undergraduate concentration, training for doctoral students, and possible future master’s-level certificates. It will foster innovative research that crosses disciplinary boundaries through joint appointments with a wide range of academic departments and through school-based fellows programs, research centers and initiatives.

Over the course of the coming academic year, the Provost will lead the strategic planning process, deepening collaboration between Watson and other academic units and positioning the school for success. This includes conducting an international search for an inaugural dean.

A news story regarding the establishment of the school will be available later this morning on the University’s news website:

https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-05-29/school

BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND CAPITAL PROJECT APPROVALS

At the May meeting, the Corporation acts on the consolidated base budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Consistent with that process, the University Resources Committee (URC) presented its recommended budget for next year to me for action at this meeting. I recommended to the Corporation, and they approved, a Fiscal Year 2025 Brown operating budget that includes $1.79 billion in revenues and $1.83 billion in expenditures.

The FY25 budget continues Brown’s focus on investing in its academic mission and the people across campus who work to fulfill that mission. Employee salaries, wages and benefits account for the largest share (43%) of expenses, with a budget of $799 million; student financial aid comprises the second-largest share (26%), with $477 million in investments.

The budget outlines targeted investments in priority areas, including continued support for the University's Operational Plan for Investing in Research, enhancements to the new Center for Career Exploration, growth in residential and online master’s degree programs, voluntary contributions to the City of Providence, and the renovations to Andrews House as the new home for the Cogut Institute for the Humanities.

To sustain a commitment to meeting 100% of every undergraduate student’s financial need, the University’s FY25 budget includes a 7% increase in financial aid for undergraduates, as well as a total student aid budget of $477 million to support undergraduate, master’s, Ph.D. and medical students. The continued expansion of Brown’s undergraduate financial aid budget will sustain and expand on recent increases in financial support for students. With new measures including additional scholarships for moderate-income undergraduates, 52% of Brown’s most recent incoming class received aid, and the average family financial responsibility for those students was $27,580. The expanded budget for FY25 will be critical in Brown’s plan to launch need-blind admissions for international students beginning with the Class of 2029. Brown’s budget also provides $232.9 million in student aid and support for graduate students, continuing its track record of new investments in aid for Ph.D., master’s and medical students, which range from fellowships and stipends to support for students who are parents.

With $1.79 billion in revenues and $1.83 billion in expenditures, the approved FY25 budget projects an operating deficit of $46 million for FY25, which is 3% of total revenue. One priority for the University in the coming years will be to limit annual deficits, even while continuing to invest in important academic priorities. Brown has experienced tremendous growth in its education and research over the last decade, fueled by previous years of high investment returns, successful fundraising, additional students, and access to credit at low interest rates in a low-inflation environment. That fiscal environment enabled the University to invest in priorities in research, teaching, student support, campus development and more. Projects have included cutting-edge new facilities — from new life sciences laboratories and athletics projects underway to the completion of the Lindemann Performing Arts Center and two new residence hall projects, to the renovation of Churchill House for Africana Studies and Rites and Reason Theatre and Stonewall House for the LGBTQ Center, to the purchase of River House for graduate student housing and a portion of South Street Landing for collaborative office space. They also include important financial aid initiatives, new research centers, growth in academic programs, additional faculty hires and expanded partnerships beyond the Brown campus.

But the University is operating in a financial climate where multiple factors create considerable financial pressure. Among those are little projected growth in undergraduate tuition, with no plans at Brown for further expansion of the undergraduate student body. Endowment forecasts are anticipating more modest investment returns than in recent record-setting years, which means the endowment’s annual contribution to the operating budget will decline relative to past rates. We are also focused on keeping pace on wage growth for employees, given the impact of inflation on living costs, as well as planning for increases in the cost of new debt and inflation that is expected to ease slightly, but remain higher than the low inflation that persisted for much of the last decade.

As Provost Doyle wrote in a letter accompanying the URC’s recommended budget: “These factors, combined, indicate that careful financial management will be essential…” particularly in avoiding sustained annual budget deficits. “Over the course of the summer and into the coming academic year, in consultation with the URC and other campus partners, we will develop achievable targets and plans to bring our budget into balance while continuing to make the strategic investments required to elevate Brown’s impact as a leading research university.”

Being collectively informed about University resources and priorities is critically important, and I strongly encourage all members of the community to read the full URC report, which is available on the committee’s website:

https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/provost/committees-reports/university-resources-committee

The Committee on Budget and Finance also authorized construction on the project to relocate the Haffenreffer Research Collection from its current location in Bristol, Rhode Island, to its new home at One Davol Square in Providence’s Jewelry District; and approved design and architect selection for a project to renovate Prince Lab in the School of Engineering.

MEETINGS WITH STUDENTS

Five members of the Corporation had listening sessions with two separate groups of students regarding the question of divestment that has been the focus of recent activism both on Brown’s campus and nationally. The first meeting included five students who are in support of the “Brown Divest Now” proposal, otherwise referred to as the Critical Edition of the 2020 ACCRIP Report. The same five members of the Corporation also participated in a second meeting with five students who conveyed concerns about that proposal. Discussions with each set of students were constructive, and the members of the Corporation expressed appreciation to the students for sharing their views and perspectives.

As I shared with the community last month, the formal process for consideration of a divestment proposal will begin this summer in advance of a Corporation vote in October. As part of the agreement the University reached with students to reach a peaceful end to the unauthorized encampment on the College Green in April, the students agreed to pursue the long-standing, established process for consideration of any divestment proposal at Brown. This is the course I had urged for students during protest actions in December and February. Given the extraordinary circumstances, I committed to accelerate the regular process to review a divestment proposal to assure a vote in the fall. I’ll reiterate what I shared upon the agreement to end the encampment last month — I feel strongly that a vote in October will bring clarity to an open question that has been of high interest to members of our community for years, which is whether the Corporation will vote for or against divestment.

As a first step, I have asked the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM) to provide me with a recommendation on the matter of divestment by September 30, 2024. ACURM is made up of faculty, students, staff and alumni, and there will be opportunities for Brown community input.

I will bring the ACURM recommendation, and all materials submitted by members of the Brown community in favor or opposed to the proposal, to the Corporation prior to the vote at the October 2024 Corporation meeting. Consideration by ACURM, or its predecessor advisory committees, is a long-standing prerequisite for Corporation consideration of divestment requests. This topic was not on the Corporation’s business agenda nor was there a vote on divestment at the May meeting. A campus communication regarding the ACURM process, including opportunities for Brown community engagement, will be forthcoming in June.

ELECTION OF TRUSTEES AND OTHER ACTIONS

The Corporation elected the following individuals to the Board of Trustees: Anne Beal ’84, Kwame Campbell ’92, Margaret Munzer’94, Claire Hughes Johnson ’94, Zach Schreiber ‘95 and David Cicilline ’83. As reported to the community in October 2023, the Corporation approved a proposal at that meeting to extend the length of term of New Alumni Trustees to three years. The two individuals currently serving in these positions — William Zhou ’20 and Shanelle Chambers Haile Ph.D. ’23 — will each serve one additional year, to 2025 and 2026, respectively. Accordingly, there will not be a New Alumni Trustee election this year, and elections going forward will be held in advance of each anticipated vacancy (normally in two out of every three years). Samuel M. Mencoff ’78 was elected to the Board of Fellows.

Brief biographical notes on the new Trustees and Fellow will be available later this morning on the University’s news website:

https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-05-29/corporation

The Corporation approved the appointment of the following faculty to named chairs:

Senior Chairs:

-- Christina Cuomo, Viatris Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology;

-- Carina Curto, Pablo J. Salame Goldman Sachs Professor of Computational Neuroscience;

-- Rebecca A. Hubbard, Carl Kawaja and Wendy Holcombe Professor of Public Health;

-- Anne Shee Lee, Levinger Family Professor of Pediatrics;

-- Ateev Mehrotra, Walter H. Annenberg Distinguished Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice;

-- Susan Moffitt, John Hazen White Professor of Public Policy;

-- Leela Prasad, St. Purandar Das Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies;

-- Melvin Rogers, Edna and Richard Salomon Distinguished Professor of Political Science;

-- David Skarbek, Michael Targoff Professor of Political Science;

-- Federica Accornero, George D. Eggleston Associate Professor of Biochemistry;

-- Allan C. Just, Nazareth-Ferguson Family University Associate Professor of Public Health.

Royce Professors of Teaching Excellence:

-- James Valles, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Physics;

-- Thomas Doeppner, Royce Family Associate Professor of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science;

-- Rebecca Weitz-Shapiro, Royce Family Associate Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political Science.

Junior Chairs:

-- Jennifer Candipan, Stanley J. Bernstein Assistant Professor of Sociology;

-- Lucas Caretta, Howard M. Reisman Assistant Professor of Engineering;

-- Karthikeyani Chellappa, Basaviah-Ganesan Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology;

-- Nina Joyce, Manning Assistant Professor of Epidemiology;

-- Brendan Keith, Morton E. Gurtin Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics;

-- Emily Kress, William A. Dyer, Jr. Assistant Professor of the Humanities;

-- Spencer Kwon, Michael Wu Assistant Professor of Economics;

-- David Levari, Lawrence A. Rand and Tiina Smith Assistant Professor of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences and Entrepreneurship;

-- Kemp Plumb, Christopher M. Barter Assistant Professor of Physics;

-- Malte Schwarzkopf, Eliot Horowitz Assistant Professor of Computer Science;

-- Katherine Siddle, Donna McGraw Weiss and Jason Weiss Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology;

-- Ritambhara Singh, John E. Savage Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science;

-- Bena Tshishiku, Joukowsky Family Assistant Professor of Mathematics.

The Committee on Campus Life convened discussions with Warren Alpert Medical School students over breakfast Thursday morning. The Board of Fellows approved the recommendations of the faculty to establish a new Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, a new Master of Science in Health Informatics, and to rename the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences to the Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, all effective July 1, 2024. The Fellows also approved the candidates for 3,176 degrees awarded at Commencement on Sunday, May 26.

ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS AND ESTABLISHMENT OF PROFESSORSHIP

The Corporation formally accepted individual gifts and pledges made since February in the amount of $1 million or more. Totaling more than $118 million, these generous commitments provide critical support to a wide range of Brown’s academic priorities. The success of the BrownTogether campaign to date and in the future builds from gifts of many dollar amounts, and all are essential to our success and deeply appreciated.

The Corporation approved the establishment of the Joukowsky Family Professorship in Archaeology and the Ancient World IV with the generous support of the Joukowsky Family Foundation.

The Corporation presented resolutions of appreciation for three senior officers who will be stepping down from their positions at the end of this fiscal year: Vice President for Research Jill Pipher, Vice President and General Counsel Eileen Goldgeier and Chief of Staff to the President Marguerite Joutz.

Finally, this meeting of the Corporation was the last of Sam Mencoff’s eight years of remarkable leadership as Brown’s 21^st Chancellor. Fellows and Trustees celebrated and honored Sam’s distinguished service to the University. I join in thanking Sam for all that he has done for Brown, and I look forward to working with Brian Moynihan, who will begin his term as Brown’s 22^nd Chancellor on July 1.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson

President

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Additional information about the Corporation is available via the following link:

https://corporation.brown.edu/