Brown is committed over the next several years to strengthening significantly the international component of its educational and research programs through strategic investment of new resources, through the strengthening of existing programs and the creation of new programs abroad and on campus, and through the creation of new partnerships and collaborative agreements with institutions abroad and the strengthening of existing collaborations. Brown will also increase the diversity of international students on campus. The underlying purposes will be to ensure that our students are adequately prepared for lives and careers in an increasingly globalized world; that the university is positioned to compete on an international stage for outstanding students and faculty, and for resources in support of research and teaching; and that as a university we are contributing in major ways to the solution of significant global problems.

In order to pursue these objectives, the provost is appointing a committee of faculty and students with the following charge.

• The committee will assist in the search for a Vice President for International Affairs (described in the accompanying position description).
• The committee will advise the provost on strategic initiatives that will build on areas of strength at Brown to help further establish the university's international visibility and prominence.

Toward this end, over the course of the 2006-7 academic year the committee will help gather information on the full range of international teaching and research activities currently underway at Brown and advise on possible directions for program development. Areas for the committee's consideration include:

• Whether there are significant weaknesses in the curriculum with respect to coverage of major areas of the world.
• The adequacy of programs of language instruction and ways in which—within the context of the open curriculum—undergraduates might be more effectively encouraged to pursue advanced study of a foreign language.
• Brown's current range of options for study abroad and for other learning experiences abroad—both those directly overseen by Brown and others available to Brown students—examining whether the current range of options is adequate and where new options should be considered.
• Information on existing agreements between Brown and universities and research institutions abroad that facilitate collaborative research and training activities and principles that should guide the university in establishing new partnerships.
• The current extent and nature of Brown faculty research outside the United States and possible ambitious new broad international research initiatives.

As it considers these issues, the committee will consult with a wide spectrum of faculty to ensure adequate opportunity for faculty input. The committee is particularly encouraged to consult with the chairs of departments with significant international interests, with directors of relevant research centers and institutes, with the deans of the College and the Graduate School , with the Vice President for Research and the Vice President for International Advancement.