Letter from the President
October 7, 2006
Dear Members of the Brown Community:
The Brown Corporation was on campus this weekend for a very productive and informative fall meeting. Much of what the Corporation discussed, both in its various standing committees and in plenary sessions, will be the subject of meetings and discussions here on campus throughout the year. Selected events, actions, and topics from Corporation meetings are described briefly below.
The dedication of the new Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences was a highlight of the weekend's activities. In addition to the formal dedication ceremony at which President Susan Hockfield of MIT spoke, there were tours, a reception, and dinner that followed. At its strategic discussion session Friday afternoon and by the action it took during its Saturday morning meeting, the Corporation passed a resolution endorsing the idea of improving the University's standing as an international leader in higher education. A strategic planning process is under way under the direction of the Provost to develop a coordinated set of efforts in this broad area. The Provost has expressed the intention to appoint a senior officer for international initiatives, to undertake a comprehensive review of our international curricular offerings, to expand programs for student and faculty exchange, to improve opportunities for international internships for students, and more.
As an important first step, the Corporation endorsed a proposal to increase the amount of financial aid the University will be able to offer to international students. Following the University’s recent significant improvements in graduate, undergraduate, transfer and RUE financial aid, the University will seek to increase the financial aid budget for international students by over 30% and to raise significant additional funds to enable greater diversity of international students. The Corporation was especially interested in seeing greater aid for students from developing areas of the world.
The Facilities and Design Committee reviewed a number of building projects and the Corporation also voted to proceed with architect selections for 1) the new Creative Arts Building, to be constructed on Waterman Street, and 2) renovations to Rhode Island Hall, which will house the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World.
Several discussions took place to advance considerations of various proposals. While the Corporation did not take specific action with regard to the following subjects, the issues will be of continuing interest.
Undergraduate student housing: The Committee on Campus Life and the Facilities and Design Committee received a preliminary report on options for increasing the University's on-campus housing capacity. Construction of new residence halls would respond to a number of important academic and social goals.
Social Choice Option: The Committee on Investment discussed the status of the University’s deliberations about establishing a social choice option for donors. The Committee was informed that the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing (ACCRI) is currently working on specific proposals to bring to the Administration. The proposals will be discussed with the community before being brought back to the Corporation for consideration at a future meeting.
Campus Public Safety and Providence Police Incidents: The Corporation discussed recent events in regard to the arrest of two students by Providence Police. Discussion included questions of use of Providence police details, status of any complaints filed, training of campus and Providence police, and the campus climate generally.
Slavery and Justice Committee: The Corporation learned about the progress of the committee’s work and commented on ways to make the committee’s report available once it is completed.
Finally, the Corporation voted to accept more than a dozen major gifts in support of the University's Plan for Academic Enrichment. These included a $15-million gift from the C.V. Starr Foundation for the Commerce, Organizations and Entrepreneurship program. The gift endows one professorship in each of three participating academic departments (economics, engineering and sociology) and will establish a $3-million flexible program fund. The Corporation also formally accepted a gift announced at the dedication Friday night by Sidney Frank's daughter, Cathy Frank Halstead, who is a Brown trustee. The Sidney Frank Foundation is providing an additional $3 million to create endowed graduate fellowships in the Division of Biology and Medicine.
Information on these developments can be found on the University's news page.
Sincerely,
Ruth J. Simmons