Boldly Brown, Boldly Begun

by Ronald D. Vanden Dorpel '71 A.M., senior vice president for University advancement

Last fall was the official public launch of Boldly Brown: Campaign for Academic Enrichment, the most ambitious fundraising effort Brown has ever undertaken. Perhaps some of Boldly Brown's eye-catching communications materials have arrived in your mailbox, or perhaps you have read about the Campaign in special supplements of the Brown Alumni Magazine or on our Campaign website. For most of you, it is no surprise to hear our main objective: to raise $1.4 billion by December 2010 to fulfill the University's Plan for Academic Enrichment.

Dedicated alumni, parents, and friends of the University have enthusiastically embraced this challenge. At press time, we had already raised more than $651 million - nearly half - of our ultimate goal. Much of the credit for this exhilarating start belongs to a small group of Brown's closest benefactors, who got the proverbial ball rolling with the establishment of an unprecedented nucleus fund of $575 million. However, what brought us to our current mark, and what will propel Boldly Brown to its triumphant conclusion, are the generous gifts of all sizes from alumni, parents, and friends whose lives have been forever touched by the Brown experience.

We have held kick-off events across the country, from Providence to San Francisco, Los Angeles to New York, and Boston to Florida. These events have been attended by thousands of alumni and parents, and have been hugely successful in inspiring supporters of the University to accept the Boldly Brown challenge, one gift at a time. We have also created twenty-six regional Campaign committees in the United States and abroad, which continue to stimulate our efforts.

The funds raised through the Boldly Brown campaign will ensure the availability of Brown's renowned academic resources for generations of students to come, regardless of their economic backgrounds. The matriculation of the Class of 2010 next fall will mark the first time that all four of the University's undergraduate classes were admitted under the policy of need-blind admissions, a practice which helps maintain a truly diverse learning environment. Boldly Brown will also guarantee that those students have access to the kind of distinguished, student-oriented faculty and state-of-the-art research facilities that make Brown truly unique among the world's institutions of higher education.

As you enjoy the events of Brown's 238^th Commencement and Reunion 2006, you will see first-hand the extraordinary manner in which the people of Brown - students, faculty, administration, staff, parents, and alumni - come together to create an unparalleled academic environment. It is truly the people of this University who make it what it is, and it is the people who will secure the future of Brown for every bright, creative and hopeful student who dreams of someday marching through the Van Wickle Gates. By partnering with Boldly Brown: Campaign for Academic Enrichment, you will see those dreams regularly become reality.