Hirings under way for 87 new courses, sections; Minden Hall work will add 145 beds

The preparations will accommodate a larger-than-usual entering class.

by Kristen Cole

When students arrive on campus for the start of the academic year, they will find new options both in living space and classroom study.

Through a variety of measures, the University is adding nearly 200 beds to prepare for a larger-than-usual entering class, and 87 courses or sections of courses to offer a wider range of academic choices for entering students.

Adding courses is one of the steps in President Simmons’ Initiatives for Academic Enrichment, said William Crossgrove, associate dean of the faculty. During the first year of the initiatives, Brown is boosting the number of visiting faculty in order to increase immediately the number of courses. “The assumption is that searches will be conducted next year to bring in more regular faculty,” said Crossgrove.

New courses will be offered throughout the disciplines, but in particular will reflect areas that historically have had the highest demand, including such subjects as visual arts and Hispanic studies, he said.

As for housing, as early as February administrators anticipated that the class size would be larger than in years past and that accommodations would have to be made, said Donald Desrochers, assistant dean of residential life.

First-year students are expected to number 1,430 this year, compared to the 1,381 who arrived on campus last fall. To make way for them, the University is allowing more upperclassmen to move off campus; 21 percent of the student body has taken that option, Desrochers said.

The University also added beds in two ways. Where space allowed, workers converted rooms in Keeney Quad to add another 60 or more beds. But the largest single housing expansion came from the University’s decision to use Minden Hall (right), at Waterman and Brook streets, to provide 145 new beds. The dorm offers single, double, triple and quad rooms, and nearly every room – whether for one, two, three or four students – has its own bathroom. That feature, unusual for a dormitory, is linked to the Minden’s original use as a boarding house, said Desrochers.

Brown has owned Minden Hall for several years, but leased it to Johnson & Wales University for use as student housing.

In anticipation of the students’ arrival, the University is upgrading the building with roof and window repairs; wiring for the Internet, cable television, and the campus telephone system; and new carpeting, according to Desrochers.

However, Minden may not provide a long-term solution to housing needs, he said.

The last time the University significantly increased its housing options was in 1991 with the construction of the 300-bed Gregorian Quad. In the years since, unrelated projects such as the construction of new academic buildings have claimed some dormitory rooms. The University has 82 more beds now than it did before Gregorian Quad opened, Desrochers said.

But this year, every student will have a dormitory room.

“We won’t be overcrowded,” said Desrochers. “It was very tight last year so we started planning early – it’s going to make it a lot easier and pleasant opening.”

Yield for Class of 2006 is 60 percent

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions was surprised this spring when 60 percent of those who were offered admission into Brown’s Class of 2006 agreed to enroll. Last year, that statistic, called the yield, was 51.5 percent.

Some of the increase is due to a change in Brown policy from early action to early decision, according to Michael Goldberger, director of admission. Early action gave students the option to enroll; students admitted under early decision are obligated to enroll.

Goldberger also attributes some of the increase to President Simmons' academic initiatives. "People are excited about Brown," he said.

The yield for students of color was particularly dramatic. This year, Brown saw a 47 percent yield for African Americans, compared to 36 percent last year. The yield for Asian Americans increased to 52 percent from 41 percent last year.

The yield for students admitted to the eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education increased also – from 46 percent to 59 percent.

The Class of 2006 is expected to be 1,430, compared to 1,381 students who entered in the Class of 2005.