President Gregorian to deliver State of the University Address

On Thursday, March 6, at 4 p.m. in the Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America, Brown University President Vartan Gregorian will deliver a convocation address on the state of the University.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Vartan Gregorian, Brown's 16th president, will deliver a State of the University Address to faculty, students, staff and friends of Brown during a University Convocation on Thursday, March 6.

The Convocation will begin at 4 p.m. in the Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America, on North Main Street at the foot of College Hill. The Meeting House has been the site of important University ceremonies, including all Brown Commencements, since the building was completed in 1775.

Gregorian will discuss the University's academic mission, intellectual life and financial affairs, and will offer his vision of the University's past and future, including the issues and opportunities it will face in coming years.

The Convocation will begin with a performance by the Brown Wind Symphony, directed by Matthew McGarrell, and a formal academic procession. Michael Harper, University Professor and professor of English will read a poem composed for the occasion, and William F. Wyatt, professor of classics and chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, will introduce the president.

Seating in the Meeting House will be open to the campus community and general public on a first-come, first-served basis, with doors opening at 3:15 p.m. A live video simulcast of the Convocation will also be offered in the Salomon Center for Teaching, located on The College Green. Gregorian's address will be available on the Internet through the Brown web site [www.brown.edu] by Monday, March 10.