October 13, 2007 |
Meeting of the Brown Corporation
Brown Corporation Meets, Approves New Projects
The Corporation of Brown University has appointed David Kennedy as the University’s first vice president for international affairs. Brown’s governing body also reviewed University leadership reports, faculty hiring, international education, and the state of undergraduate education. The Corporation formally accepted gifts, approved professorships, and received the first allocation to The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. | |||
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — The Corporation of Brown University today voted to appoint David Kennedy as vice president for international affairs. Kennedy, currently the Manley O. Hudson Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is the first appointment to this new Cabinet-level position, a key part of the University’s efforts to enhance its global reputation and contributions as a major research institution. Kennedy will also serve as the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor in International Relations and as a fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies. The Corporation also received reports on faculty hiring, on plans to enhance international education, on the state of undergraduate education, and on other important University issues, including the formal acceptance of gifts. Thomas J. Tisch ’76 presided over his first meeting as the University’s 20th chancellor. Faculty Hiring Dean of the Faculty Rajiv Vohra reviewed faculty hiring through the 2007-08 academic year, discussing trends, principles, and practices on promotion and retention. Brown reached new goals for faculty hiring, an essential part of the Plan for Academic Enrichment:
Internationalization Initiatives Provost David Kertzer discussed the report of the Committee on Internationalization and the University’s emerging plans to strengthen international education and research. He welcomed the new vice president for international affairs, who will be providing leadership for Brown’s programs in the international arena. Kertzer discussed the strategy of creating an ambitious international agenda that advances Brown’s core missions of education and research, consistent with the principles of Brown’s open curriculum. Important elements of discussion included:
Task Force on Undergraduate Education In its strategic discussion session, the Corporation heard from Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron about the work of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education. Major aspects of the discussion included:
With that context, the Corporation members discussed and evaluated the charge of the task force. Dean Bergeron reported that she anticipates a draft report of the Task Force by February 2008. Report on the Campaign for Academic Enrichment The Boldly Brown Campaign Leadership Team reported that the University has reached $1.1 billion – 79 percent of the Campaign’s $1.4-billion goal. The Brown Annual Fund raised a record $34.6 million last year, a 12.6-percent increase, as Brown’s alumni participation rose from 10th in the nation to seventh, according U.S. News & World Report. The Corporation established three new professorships:
The Corporation also accepted new gifts:
The Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence In its formal response to Report of the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice – and in particular to the recommendation for Brown to “use the resources of the University to help ensure a quality education for the children of Providence” – the University committed to raising a permanent endowment in the amount of $10 million to establish The Fund for Education of the Children. At the meeting, Chancellor Tisch reported on the formation of the Committee to Oversee the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence, which will comprise the following members:
It was also announced that the Committee will be able to make grants immediately from funds available as a result of a gift of $250,000. Facilities Update Creative Arts Center The Corporation also approved the site of the new Creative Arts Center, as recommended by the Committee on Facilities and Design. It will be located at 154 Angell St., bordering The Walk, a series of linked green spaces that will provide a connection between Brown’s main campus and the Pembroke Campus. The renowned architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro has been selected to design the facility. The proposed plans include a recital hall and 35mm screening facility, which will seat up to 250 people, a recording studio, multimedia lab, gallery space, and production spaces for multidisciplinary art. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2009, with expected completion in late 2010. Mind Brain Behavior Building Members of the Corporation approved the site for the new “Mind Brain Behavior” building, which will house the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Department of Psychology, and the Brain Science Program. The new facility will be located along the south side of Angell Street between the J. Walter Wilson building and The Walk . The Boston-based architecture firm Leers Weinzapfel Associates is designing the building. The project is currently in the schematic design phase. Construction will begin when sufficient funds have been raised, Smith Swim Center Upon recommendation from the Facilities and Design Committee, the Corporation voted to demolish the Smith Swim Center, which the University closed earlier this year due to structural problems that could not be repaired in a cost-effective way. In May 2007, the Corporation voted to proceed with planning and design for a new swimming and diving facility within the Wendell R. Erickson ’19 Athletic Complex, at the location of the current swim center. The new center is being designed in conjunction with the ongoing Nelson Fitness Center project. Corporation Dinner More than 45 undergraduate, graduate and medical students joined members of the faculty and administration for dinner Friday night. The evening included remarks from Provost Kertzer and former student leaders Elliot Maxwell ’68, P’06 and Ira Magaziner ’69 P’06,’07, ’10, who were instrumental in the creation of Brown’s New Curriculum, established in 1969. Maxwell and Magaziner reflected on the formation of the New Curriculum and implications for Brown’s current review of the College. ###### | |||