Dear Members of the Brown Community,

Last week, the Corporation of Brown University held its May meetings, which take place leading into Commencement and Reunion Weekend. A range 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.

Academic Priorities and Faculty Honors

In the Committee on Academic Affairs and in a strategic session as a whole, Provost Francis J. Doyle III, Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence Michael Littman, and Eric Kaldor, Director of Assessment and Transformational Programs at the Sheridan Center, led a discussion of the draft report on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Teaching and Learning at Brown. Earlier this month, all Brown faculty were invited to participate in a similar presentation and discussion on the themes and findings from the report, which will be released in full to the campus when it is final. Members of the Corporation expressed support for the deliberate and thoughtful manner in which faculty and students are engaging with the challenges and opportunities of AI in the classroom.

Additionally, recently appointed Associate Provost for Corporate Engagement James R. Kellner presented a dynamic overview of the work being planned to invest in corporate engagement and partnership. Over the coming year, Jim will take on a campus-wide charge to enhance, promote and coordinate corporate engagement across our research and educational missions in the arts, sciences, humanities and social sciences, as Provost Doyle noted in announcing Jim’s appointment.

The Corporation also participated in celebrations of accomplishments. This year has seen numerous examples of faculty receiving honors and distinctions at the highest levels of their fields, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the awarding of Guggenheim and Carnegie fellowships, and the awarding of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Faculty recipients of these honors joined the Corporation for a celebratory dinner on Thursday evening.

On Friday evening, members of the Corporation attended the dedication and celebration of the Penner Field House. Opened at the beginning of this semester, this wonderful new facility already has been deeply appreciated by thousands of Brown community members — those participating in recreational and intramural sports, as well as varsity student-athletes — especially during and after the February blizzard. The Penner Field House enables student-athletes to compete at the highest levels and creates capacity for more campus community members to engage in club sports, intramural activities and wellness initiatives. The Corporation expressed gratitude to the Penner Family Foundation and the many other donors who made this building possible.

Campus Safety and Security

The Corporation received updates regarding the ongoing After-Action Review of the events of December 13 and the comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment. As I recently communicated to the campus, we plan to share the key outcomes from these reviews in August, along with an implementation plan. 

The Corporation previously discussed the immediate security enhancements the University has implemented following December 13, and the importance of emergency preparedness and training, not only for first responders, but also for students, staff and faculty. This includes educating our community about how to contact the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management (DPSEM) to report troubling incidents and how to access support. During the meetings, we discussed how the University continues to encourage all members of the campus community to download and use the Rave Guardian app, which features a mobile panic button and tools to report suspicious behavior. In addition, we have continued to refine our approach to building access, including recent updates shared with the community that are designed to support the needs of students, faculty and staff while advancing our shared safety goals. I noted that we have encouraged the campus to watch for more communications over the summer regarding safety and security updates.

In a presentation during the Corporation’s strategic session, I noted that the latest enhancements to resources, policies, training, and technology and other infrastructure build on more than a decade of ever-increasing investments in campus safety and security at Brown. I shared the following data with the Corporation in a discussion about Brown’s demonstrated commitment to putting safety at the heart of all we do: Since Fiscal Year 2014, the total annual safety and security budget has grown 67%. During that time, Brown has invested more than $65 million in safety and security-related technology, including cameras, access control, dispatch systems, emergency alerts and related systems. The number of security cameras on campus tripled between 2012 and 2025, growing from 400 to 1,200 by early December 2025. There are currently 1,340 cameras on campus, with additional planned installations underway. 

We discussed with the Corporation that crime in almost every major category decreased for the campus over roughly the past decade. With steady investments in safety, security, training, technology and other resources, burglary dropped from a peak of 63 incidents in 2013 to approximately 6 incidents reported annually in recent years, while robberies fell from 17 incidents to zero. The sharp declines in burglary and property crimes have come despite increases in student enrollment and total campus square footage, which have grown, 34% and 12% respectively. Even as other areas of Brown’s operating budget have recently contracted in response to economic factors, the University has remained steadfast in its commitment to safety and security. 

Brown’s Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management continues to pursue and secure national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which sets the national standard for law enforcement.

Budget for Fiscal Year 2027

At its annual May meeting, the Corporation acts on the consolidated base budget for the coming fiscal year. Consistent with that process, the University Resources Committee (URC), chaired by Provost Doyle, presented its recommended budget for next year to me for action at this meeting. I recommended to the Corporation, and the Trustees and Fellows approved, a Fiscal Year 2027 Brown operating budget that includes $1.89 billion in revenues and $1.95 billion in expenditures.

The approved budget reflects continued investments in Brown students and employees and support for Brown’s academic mission and strategic priorities. Consistent with our ongoing and sustained focus on investing in Brown’s mission and the people across campus who fulfill that mission, employee salaries, wages and benefits account for the largest share (43%) of expenses for FY27, with a budget of $830 million, and student financial aid comprises the second-largest share (26%), at $506 million.

The budget also continues the gradual but significant process of reducing the structural deficit; funding for campus safety and recovery efforts; and measures to support the work of students, faculty and staff as we continue to navigate an uncertain federal funding environment.

For members of the campus community who have joined the University recently, some background on the efforts of recent years to reduce the structural deficit noted above may be helpful. In 2024, we launched a Financial Health Initiative to address a persistent gap between revenues and expenses that — if left unaddressed — would continue to grow. Multiple actions were initiated, including managing employee headcount, moderating Ph.D. admissions, limiting operating expense growth, and growing master’s and professional program revenue. When a federal funding freeze began in April 2025, posing enormous challenges for Brown’s research mission and financial sustainability, Brown paused hiring, further reduced spending and developed a FY26 budget with aggressive expense reductions. Brown’s voluntary agreement with the federal government lessened, but did not eliminate the negative financial impact of federal actions. Efforts from academic and administrative units across campus closed the remaining $30 million budget gap by implementing measures ranging from consolidating health plans and eliminating staff positions, to pausing spending toward net-zero emissions goals.

As a result of these measures over the past several years, we have made significant progress reducing the structural deficit while maintaining investments in important academic priorities and navigating a number of short-term challenges. While the total operating deficit will grow for FY27, that increase was projected in the multi-year financial plan reviewed and discussed with the URC. That plan also anticipates deficits for Fiscal Years 2028 and 2029, including both a structural deficit and term-limited strategic investments that are essential for long-term revenue growth and ensuring Brown’s academic excellence. Deficits are projected to rapidly improve in the years to follow, and the investments made in our teaching, learning and research mission will have a positive impact for decades to come. 

Reducing the structural deficit over time, rather than addressing it all at once, makes it possible to continue to support academic priorities, maintain competitive compensation for faculty and staff, and provide our students a world-class education. Brown’s goal is to achieve a 3% operating margin each year, which will provide consistent resources to maintain and modernize the campus, support new research initiatives and enhance the student experience.

The approved budget includes growth in Brown’s undergraduate financial aid budget and expands on recent initiatives to enroll and support promising students from a wide range of socioeconomic groups, while reducing financial obstacles for low- and moderate-income families. Brown meets 100% of each student’s demonstrated financial need and covers full tuition for families earning $125,000 or less with typical assets, while students from families making less than $60,000 a year receive scholarships that cover all expenses — tuition, room, board, books and other costs. Other past efforts include replacing loans with grants in University financial aid awards, eliminating consideration of home equity for a family’s primary residence in making aid awards, reducing summer earnings expectations for high-need students, and becoming need-blind for all undergraduate international students. The budget also provides $242 million in student aid and support for Ph.D., master’s and medical students, which includes fellowships and stipends.

Other key expenditures include support for faculty research, undergraduate teaching, campus laboratories and strategic investments in the Brown University Health system (formerly Lifespan), the Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health initiative (BIRCH), and grants to support workforce development initiatives in Rhode Island. The budget also includes substantial resources in FY27 to support campus safety, security and recovery measures in the aftermath of December 13. 

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 webpage.

Capital Project Approvals

In addition to recommending approval of the budget, the Committee on Budget and Finance authorized construction of the project to thoughtfully renovate and repair the existing Barus and Holley classroom wing, transforming it into a welcoming, safe, connective place with excellent spaces for teaching and learning. Further information about this project was included in a recent campus communication. The committee also authorized design approval of the Sustainable Thermal Energy Program (STEP), which is both a capital project and an essential component of our sustainability and resiliency goals as an institution. The program will include three interconnected projects designed to increase resiliency, allow more flexibility, increase efficiencies, and help achieve decarbonization of College Hill buildings on the high temperature hot water loop. More information about this program will be shared with the campus as design progresses.

The Committee on Facilities and Campus Planning approved the recommendation of its design review subcommittee to select Howeler + Yoon as the architects for the Department of Economics building project. Following a national selection process, the committee was impressed by the firm's presentation of goals and strategic ideas for the project, as well as the firm’s demonstrable design skill. With a world-class design team now in place, the University will progress with (1) assessing proposed programming for the building and evaluating whether the anticipated site aligns with that programming; and (2) continuing an ongoing public engagement process that will provide ample opportunity for local community members to provide input as plans develop. 

This project remains at an early stage, and to date we have completed only a feasibility study. A feasibility study entails determining the current and anticipated growth needs of an academic program, assessing and prioritizing potential sites, and performing a testing fit of those two factors. The study does not constitute a design, and now that an architect has been selected, a more than year-long design process will get underway. Design is expected to be a deliberative, thoughtful, inclusive and iterative process, and what is conceived at the feasibility stage more often than not changes substantively during and through design. 

The University has an extensive history of carrying out the design of new and renovated academic buildings in a manner that embraces and positively impacts both the campus and the College Hill neighborhood in which we are located, and we are committed to applying this philosophy to the current project.

Election of Trustees and Other Actions

The Corporation elected the following individuals to the Board of Trustees: Suzi Kwon Chon ’92, Oliver Haarman ’90, Adam Korn ’97, Frayda Lindemann, Alina Moran ’93, Anne Pedrero ’91 and Kehli Harding Woodruff ’94. Logan Tullai ’25 will serve a three-year term as a new alumni trustee, following an election in which current students and recent alumni participated directly. Brief biographical notes on the new Trustees will be available later this morning on the University’s news website.

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

Senior Chairs:

• Nadje Al-Ali, Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies;
• Beverly Bossler, Chen Family Professor of China Studies;
• David Christensen, William Herbert Perry Faunce Professor of Philosophy;
• Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan, Williams R. Rhodes Professor of International Economics;
• J. Brad Marston, Harrison E. Farnsworth Professor of Physics;
• Pablo Ottonello, Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Family Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences;
• Fabrizio Perri, Orlando Bravo University Professor of Economics and Policy;
• Andrew Peterson, E. Paul Sorensen Professor of Engineering;
• Richard Rambuss, Henry Merritt Wriston Professor of English;
• Joseph Silverman, Ford Foundation Professor of Mathematics;
• Katherine Tate, L. Herbert Ballou Professor of Political Science;
• Adam Teller, Dorot Professor of Judaic Studies and History;
• Anubhav Tripathi, C.V. Starr Professor of Engineering;
• Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Dean's Professor of Data Science and Computer Science;
• Jennifer Hadden, Charles Evans Hughes Associate Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs;
• Feng Lin, Brown Associate Professor of Engineering.

Royce Professors of Teaching Excellence:

• Michelle Clayton, Royce Family Associate Professor of Teaching Excellence in Comparative Literature and Hispanic Studies;          
• Daniel Harris, Royce Family Associate Professor of Teaching Excellence in Engineering;
• Michael Vorenberg, Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in History.

Junior Chairs:

• Alexandre Gaillard, Buchbinder Family Assistant Professor of Economics;
• Daniel Ibarra, George H. Billings Assistant Professor of Environment and Society;
• Matthias Kuehne, Christopher M. Barter Assistant Professor of Physics;
• Willie Rush Lim, Dean’s Tamarkin Assistant Professor of Mathematics;
• Peihan Miao, John E. Savage Assistant Professor of Computer Science;
• Kiana Murphy, Manning Assistant Professor of American Studies;
• Keitaro Okura, SRS Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs;
• Dev Patel, Peggy and Henry D. Sharpe Jr. Assistant Professor of Environmental Science;
• Slavica Pavlovic-Djuranovic, Dean's Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biological Sciences;
• Christopher Rea, Joukowsky Family Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs;
• Yashawini Singh, Thomas J. and Alice M. Tisch Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice;
• Chen Sun, Eliot Horowitz Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

The Committee on Campus Life heard a terrific presentation from Medical Student Senate President Weston de Lomba MD’27 and subsequently convened discussions with students from the Warren Alpert Medical School over breakfast Thursday morning. The Fellows met earlier this month with the officers of the Faculty Executive Committee. The Fellows approved the candidates for 3,288 degrees awarded at Commencement on Sunday, May 24.

Acceptance of Gifts and Establishment of Professorships

The Corporation formally accepted individual gifts and pledges in the amount of $1 million or more made since February. Totaling more than $132 million, these generous commitments provide critical support to a wide range of Brown’s academic priorities. The success of the University depends on gifts of many dollar amounts, and all are essential to fulfilling our academic mission and deeply appreciated.

The Trustees and Fellows also approved the establishment of a number of endowed positions in recognition of generous gifts having been received. Professorships and chairs established at this meeting include the following:

• The Esposito Family Directorship for the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Career Exploration was established with the generous support of James P. Esposito '90, P'25, P'27, P'29 and Jennifer Esposito P'25, P'27, P'29;
• The Shonica Tunstall '92 Assistant Golf Coaching position was established with the generous support of an anonymous donor.

The Corporation also approved the naming of the first-floor lounge in the Nelson Fitness Center as the Barker Family Lounge in recognition of a lifetime of generous support from the late Richard C. Barker '57 LHD'09 hon., P'03, P'05.

The Corporation approved a commendation of gratitude, admiration and respect for the service of the chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, James A. and Julie N. Brown Professor of Computer Science Anna Lysyanskaya, for her leadership serving the Brown University faculty.

Finally, at the close of what has been a trying and tragic year for the Brown community, the Corporation joined in expressing deep admiration and gratitude for the staff, faculty and students who make our campus the special place that it is every day.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson,
President