Office of Community and Government Relations

Department of Public Safety

Swearer Center for Public Service

One of Brown's great strengths is that it exists in a vital urban environment. That is also one of our greatest challenges. It is impossible for Brown to move forward without interacting with our neighbors on the east side and in the city and state, and our ability to take advantage of possible synergies and work out conflicts in a cooperative and forward-thinking way will have a significant impact our success with these initiatives.

Goals, Objectives, and Proposals

With a Brown I.D., Ride RIPTA for Free

Current faculty, students and staff at Brown are now able to swipe their University-issued identity cards and ride RIPTA for free, anytime, anywhere in the state. The new U-PASS program went into effect Sept. 1, 2007. Brown University hopes to benefit employees and the community by reducing energy consumption, traffic and parking congestion on College Hill and statewide. [More]

Brown slavery & justice committee recommendations benefit local public schools

In response to the Slavery and Justice Committee recommendations, Brown will participate in various initiatives to improve public education in the Providence area. Brown created a $10-million target for an endowment for Providence Public Schools, called the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence, and launched the Urban Education Fellows program, which provides free tuition for Brown graduate students who agree to serve Providence-area schools for at least three years after they earn a Master of Arts in Brown’s Urban Education Policy Program or a Master of Arts in Teaching. [More]