The Visiting Committee on Diversity was recruited and organized in 1999 by committee Chairman Augustus A. White III and former President E. Gordon Gee in response to suggestions by current and former members of the Brown Corporation. The Corporation members believed that the Brown community would benefit from the observations and advice that an outside panel of distinguished experts could offer in assessing Brown's progress, current challenges and opportunities related to diversity. Members of the committee were selected by White, Gee and Nancy Hoffman, the Brown faculty member who staffed the committee, from a list of more than 200 names. The group itself was diverse, including African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, a Native American, two whites, as well as a white staff person.The committee had a four-point charge. It also was asked to offer counsel on specific areas of concern. For example, several members of the committee are leading scholars in ethnic studies and direct centers for the study of race and ethnicity. Due to the unique expertise the committee offered Brown in this area, Provost Kathryn Spoehr requested that the committee provide advice about the Center for Race and Ethnicity and the ethnic studies concentration that could inform the search for a new director of the center and next year's scheduled review. The University also sought advice about the Third World Transition Program.
The full committee convened on campus from Jan. 30 through Feb. 2, 2000. During that time, the committee learned about the Brown community in interviews, discussion sessions, and a facilitated dinner including 100 undergraduate, graduate and medical students. Working in teams of two and three, the committee spent a day and a half interviewing individuals and groups. In all, committee members spoke with about 350 people, including students, staff, faculty and administrators.
The balance of the committee's visit was spent discussing the issues facing Brown and formulating recommendations and observations to be passed on to the president and provost.
What follows is the executive summary of the report, which has been delivered to President Blumstein and Provost Spoehr. The full report is available as a pdf file through the Office of the President Web site.
The Visiting Committee on Diversity was recruited and organized in 1999 by Committee Chairman Augustus A. White III and former Brown President E. Gordon Gee. President Gee and Dr. White believed that the Brown community would benefit from the observations and advice that an outside panel of distinguished experts could offer in assessing Brown's progress, current challenges, and opportunities related to diversity. The Visiting Committee on Diversity was asked to provide recommendations and advice concerning all of Brown's academic departments and programs - recruiting, hiring, and retaining faculty of color; admitting and retaining graduate students of color; and improving Brown's ability to affirm diversity and to practice pluralism and community. The Visiting Committee discovered that while many constituencies at Brown have a strong commitment to diversity, pluralism, and community, it is not living by these values as well as expected. We attribute Brown's current situation to complacency, a dispersed system of governance with limited accountability and questionable resolve, and the biases and inertia of the overall society of which it is a part.
We also noted two other aspects of the Brown culture that may work against community: the high value of individualism and the effects of socioeconomic inequality among students. Nevertheless, we are thoroughly convinced that given Brown's history, culture, reputation, current assets, leadership, and commitment, it has the potential to be an outstanding leader with respect to diversity, pluralism, and community. The thoughtful presentations by students, the willingness on the part of administrators - including those for whom diversity is not considered a primary responsibility - to listen and learn and improve, the commitment of University leadership to strive for these ideals...all of these combined to deeply impress the Committee and inspire us with an enthusiastic sense of probability for what Brown can achieve.
The goals of the Visiting Committee were to make recommendations that build on Brown's strengths in regard to diversity, pluralism, and community; to point out forthrightly signs of indifference or neglect; and to propose some new and innovative strategies for achieving desired objectives. The Committee's overarching recommendation is that Brown adopt a shared vision of diversity, pluralism, and community with goals and specific plans for implementation. Without firm direction, it is difficult to keep a focus, establish priorities, and move forward. With such a vision established, the Committee believes that Brown can successfully implement its sixteen recommendations, which concern educational opportunities, student life, and the demonstration of institutional commitment.
Among the recommendations, a majority of the Committee felt particularly strongly about one area of the University - the Ethnic Studies concentration and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. The limited resources available in this area substantially limit progress and signal a lack of full commitment on the part of the University. A substantial commitment to Ethnic Studies and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity - particularly to hiring faculty and supporting their research and teaching - would signal Brown's long-term commitment to diversity. It would also achieve the important academic mission of creating and disseminating new knowledge and teaching about race and ethnicity.
The 1986 report, "The American University and the Pluralist Ideal," focused particularly on strategies for helping students of color achieve success at Brown. This report attends more broadly to Brown as an institution - some recommendations address governance and reporting structures for affirmative action, how faculty lines are allocated, and the importance of assuring that diversity is on the agenda of the Brown University Corporation. If Brown responds to these recommendations - as we expect it will - the effects will be long-term, and not all will be immediately palpable in the student community. We are at a historic moment when it is important to institutionalize structures and practices to protect past achievements and promote social justice so that Brown changes extensively, from bottom to top.
Finally, a word to Brown students: the Committee was satisfied that it spent ample time with Brown's highly articulate, thoughtful, and sometimes critical students. The Committee addressed several issues of great concern to students: notably the Third World Transition Program, the Third World Center, peer counseling, student employment conditions, and "need blind" admission. In regard to the Third World Transition Program and the name, "Third World," because students participate in and even sometimes lead in decision-making, we forgo the forceful word, "recommend," and substitute the softer phrase, "strongly suggest." We do so to signal our commitment to your assessment of our report, and to reaffirm your power in the decision-making process, despite very strong feelings among some Visiting Committee members about the appropriate structure and context for TWTP and the use of the term "Third World."
The Committee recommends, first and foremost, that the Brown community adopt an overall vision of diversity, pluralism, and community; a vision that is shared, with clearly identified goals, and that includes documented plans for realizing those goals.
I. The majority of the Committee recommends that Brown provide the financial and intellectual support for a world-class Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and Ethnic Studies program.
II. The Committee recommends that Brown create more and broader opportunities for the study of diversity-related intellectual questions and that Brown create more collaborative opportunities for exposure to such questions.
III. The Committee recommends that Brown strengthen and extend existing efforts to develop an aggressive recruitment strategy to attract and retain graduate students of color.
IV. The Committee recommends that Brown's faculty and administration make diversity a top priority in hiring and retaining faculty and in granting tenure.
V. The Committee recommends that the Third World Center be better supported and widely publicized, and that the philosophy for its existence be clearly articulated.
VI. The Committee strongly suggests that the Third World Transition Program (TWTP) remain as a discrete program, but that it be integrated into orientation activities organized for all entering students.
VII. The majority of the Committee strongly suggests that the names of the "Third World Transition Program" and "Third World Center" be changed.
VIII. The Committee recommends that the peer counseling program be reoriented and enhanced by training peer counselors to work across diverse identity groups and by extending peer counseling beyond the first year, making it available to students throughout their four or more years at Brown.
IX. The Committee recommends that Brown assess annually the satisfaction of graduate students of color, and make needed improvements in graduate-student living facilities.
X. The Committee recommends that academic departments improve their ability to identify students in need of academic support and strengthen their capacity to provide it.
XI. The Committee recommends that Brown review student-employment practices.
XII. The Committee recommends that Brown commit to achieving "need blind" admission as an institutional priority to improve the yield of low-income students of color and other low-income students.
XIII. The Committee recommends that the President and Provost assume full responsibility as the final authorities accountable for Brown's affirmative action plan and vision of diversity, pluralism, and community.
XIV. The Committee recommends that the University better use existing media and create its own media documenting diversity at Brown.
XV. The Committee recommends that Brown clarify, address, and move beyond two lingering legacies:
2. In the memorandum from President Hornig following the 1975 takeover of University Hall by a group of predominantly black students, he stated: "Our goal will be to increase these numbers (of qualified black applicants and thus black students admitted to Brown) by 25 percent over the next three years, using as a base the number of students for the class of 1979."
The Committee was highly impressed with the thoughtful, enlightened input that it received in interviews and discussions with students, faculty, and administrators on the Brown campus, as well as in written correspondence to the Committee. We detect a genuine will to move forward on these issues. When guided, directed, and informed by a vision of diversity, pluralism, and community, this progress and good will can be successfully advanced.