Letter from the President
October 13, 2007
Dear Members of the Brown Community,
The Corporation of Brown University has just completed its regular October meeting. The weekend’s agenda was marked by thoughtful and informed discussion and important actions that will advance the University’s plans. I am writing to share a few highlights with you.
ACTIONS OF THE CORPORATION
This was the first meeting at which Thomas J. Tisch presided as the 20th Chancellor of the University. A 1976 Brown graduate and managing partner of a private investment firm in New York City, he succeeds Stephen Robert ’62, who served as Chancellor for nine years. Jerome C. Vascellaro ’74 began his term as vice chancellor, succeeding Marie J. Langlois ’64. For more information on the meeting, please see http://www.brown.edu/news/2007-08/07-052.html
Vice President for International Affairs
I am pleased to report that the Corporation approved the appointment of David Kennedy ’76 as the University’s first vice president for international affairs. Kennedy was also appointed to the David and Marianna Fisher University Professorship in International Relations and as a Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies. Currently the Manley O. Hudson Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a scholar of national and international distinction, Kennedy will assume his duties in January 2008.
Kennedy will lead the University’s ongoing efforts to expand and enhance our international programs and institutional relationships. As vice president, Kennedy will work closely with the president and provost in shaping and carrying out an ambitious international agenda. He will, on behalf of the provost, oversee the Watson Institute for International Studies, and will work to strengthen and expand the Institute’s role in the University’s international initiatives. For more information on his appointment, please see http://www.brown.edu/news/2007-08/07-053.html
Capital Projects Update
The Corporation approved 154 Angell Street, between The Walk and the Brown Office Building, as the site for the Creative Arts Center. For more information, please see http://www.brown.edu/news/2007-08/07-054.html
They approved the site for a 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 on Angell Street, between J. Walter Wilson and The Walk. The Corporation acknowledged that there would need to be a plan to address the buildings in that location, and that the provost would need to relocate the existing programs and activities housed there.
As you know, the Smith Swim Center has been closed since last winter due to structural weaknesses in the roof. The Corporation considered several options, including replacement of the roof and determined that the best option was demolition of the Smith Swim Center. In May 2007, the Corporation approved planning and design for a new swim center on the same site. A temporary aquatic training facility is under construction behind the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center.
Slavery and Justice
One of the components of the University’s response to the Report of the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice is the commitment to raise a permanent endowment in the amount of $10 million to establish a Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. The endowment will be overseen by the Corporation, and the allocation of funds from the endowment will be determined by the University with input from the Superintendent of the Providence Public Schools. Chancellor Tom Tisch reported that Trustee Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar ’87, AM ’90, Fellow Artemis Joukowsky ’55 and emerita corporation member Marie Langlois ’64 have agreed to serve as founding members of the Committee to Oversee the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence. They will be able to make grants from funds available as a result of a gift of $250,000.
Gifts
A number of gifts were approved during the meeting, including a gift from Chancellor Thomas J. Tisch and Alice M. Tisch establishing five endowed “Chancellor’s Professorships,” to be awarded to faculty in any discipline, as well as a flexible fund to support a variety of undergraduate initiatives consistent with the Plan for Academic Enrichment.
The Corporation discussed a gift of $200,000 from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation to support the University’s efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. The gift, along with an allocation of $150,000 from the Office of the President, will be used for innovative projects that reduce emissions, raise awareness, change behavior and educate the community.
For more information on gifts that the Corporation approved, please see http://www.brown.edu/news/2007-08/07-052.html
Boldly Brown Campaign
During the strategic discussion session the campaign leadership team reported that we have reached $1.1 billion, 79 percent of our campaign goal of $1.4 billion. The Brown Annual Fund continues to grow; having raised $34.6 million last year, a 12.6 percent increase as Brown’s alumni participation rose from 10th in the nation to 7th, according to U.S. News & World Report. Thanks, once again, to the hundreds of campaign donors and volunteers and to Tom Berry ’69 for three years of exemplary leadership as chair of the BAF.
Discussions
The Corporation discussed topics ranging from the Report of the Committee on Internationalization, to the Medical School and Public Health Program, to class reunions and outreach to alumni. Substantial time was dedicated to reviewing on-going facilities projects, including the Nelson Fitness Center, Smith Swim Center, Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, student housing and the Creative Arts Center.
On Friday afternoon, the Corporation met in a strategic discussion session, hearing from Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron on the work of the Task Force on Undergraduate Education, which was convened last spring to review the current state of the College and make recommendations for the future. The work of the task force will form the core of the re-accreditation report, the institutional self-study being prepared for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Dean Bergeron discussed the organization of her office, probable improvements in advising, and other topics related to ongoing improvements. The Corporation probed the broader historical and institutional meaning of the curriculum, the transformative effects of student-centered learning and asked questions about the charge of the task force in light of this discussion.
Finally, during this session I reported on the progress made during the past five years on the Plan for Academic Enrichment, reviewing the original goals established in 2002, and discussing mechanisms in place to continually assess the impact of our activities and investments. While we have increased the size of the faculty, improved support for faculty and staff, strengthened financial aid across the board, reduced class size and bolstered our facilities and infrastructure, I expressed my belief that it is timely to consider the Plan and determine whether we are pursuing the right combination of initiatives to ensure Brown remains on its current trajectory, offering programs of international distinction. We will return to the Corporation in February with suggestions of how we might continue to coordinate our capital and programmatic goals to achieve the desired results for Brown.
On Friday evening the Corporation was joined by undergraduate, graduate and medical students, faculty and administrators for dinner. Elliott Maxwell ’68, P’06 and Ira Magaziner ’69, P’06, P’07, P’10, student leaders who were instrumental in the development of the new curriculum at Brown, offered remarks during dinner. Elliot Maxwell offered his insights into learning and information in the digital age, and he challenged us to think about the responsibilities of academia to protect and preserve public access to information in open formats. Ira Magaziner remarked on the unique creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of Brown students and urged the University to continually examine the curriculum and the foundations of learning at Brown.
The Corporation repeatedly expressed gratitude for the diligence of faculty, staff, students and alumni who work to strengthen the University in so many important ways. The efforts described above, they repeatedly acknowledged, would be virtually impossible without such widespread involvement.
Thank you, once again, for your valued contributions.
Sincerely,
Ruth J. Simmons