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Distributed October 16, 2004
Contact Mark Nickel

Brown University has established a new Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World that will unite and expand a number of excellent programs in ancient studies and further establish Brown's reputation as a national leader in the field. The Brown Corporation also selected the site for a new campus fitness center and accepted a number of significant gifts.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Brown University today (Saturday, Oct. 16, 2004) announced the establishment of a new Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World that will allow the University to build on its long-standing excellence in the field of the ancient studies.

The Corporation also announced a major gift from Artemis A.W. Joukowsky '55, LLD '85, P '87, chancellor emeritus of the University, and Martha Sharp Joukowsky '58, LHD '85, P '87, professor emerita of Old World archaeology and art. The Joukowskys’ leadership gift will establish and endow the institute and support it as it develops its programs and begins to attract additional faculty. An additional gift will also help support the renovation and expansion of Rhode Island Hall as a permanent home for the institute on The College Green.

“This magnificent gift and the institute it establishes will guarantee that archaeological field work, inquiry, analysis and education will flourish at Brown,” said Brown President Ruth J. Simmons, speaking to the Corporation at dinner on Friday. “The initiative positions the University for a new role as a national leader in the archaeology of the ancient world.”

The University’s work in ancient studies has been carried out in several academic departments, including classics, anthropology, Egyptology, religious studies, history of mathematics and others, and through the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art. As part of Brown’s Plan for Academic Enrichment, the University will be increasing its investment in ancient studies, including an expansion of faculty. The Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, which will replace the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art, will allow the University to expand and solidify its programs, to better support faculty and graduate students and to enhance multidisciplinary approaches to the study of the ancient world.

Nelson Fitness Center

On Tuesday, Sept. 7, during remarks at the University’s Opening Convocation, President Ruth J. Simmons announced that three alumni had given a total of $20 million in support of a new campus fitness center. At its meeting today, the Corporation approved a site for the new Nelson Fitness Center.

Although the exact position and building footprint have not yet been determined, the center will be built within the Wendell R. Erickson ’19 Athletic Complex, in a site bounded by Hope Street, the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, the Pizzitola Sports Center, Meehan Auditorium and the Smith Swim Center.

Other Business

• Graduate School tuition regulations. The Corporation amended the fee structure of the Graduate School, reducing a significant administrative burden and better aligning the fee structure with the present-day practice of graduate education. The new structure cuts nearly in half the enrollment fee paid by graduate students who have completed their three residential years of study and raises the fees paid by traveling scholars for the first time in more than 20 years.
• Brown Medical School Committee. Because of the growing size and complexity of Brown Medical School, the Corporation has established a new committee to continue medical school oversight. The eight-member Brown Medical School Committee replaces the broader Corporation Committee on Biomedical Affairs.
• Biology and Medicine Advisory Council. The Corporation also established a broader Biology and Medicine Advisory Council of approximately 30 members who will be drawn from alumni, parents, friends of the University and persons with professional expertise in academic biology and medicine.
• A Ph.D. program in computer music and multimedia. The Board of Fellows of the Corporation approved the recommendation of the faculty to establish a Ph.D. program in computer music and multimedia. The program will emphasize developing original performance pieces and technologies. The Ph.D. program will supersede Brown's successful Master of Arts program in this area.

Gifts Accepted

University policy and practice requires that all major gifts, including all gifts of $1 million or more, be presented directly to the Corporation for formal acceptance. In addition to the gifts in support of the Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and the Nelson Fitness Center, the Corporation accepted or ratified earlier Advisory and Executive Committee acceptance of the following gifts in support of the University’s Plan for Academic Enrichment:

• from Sidney E. Frank, $100 million for undergraduate scholarships for Brown’s neediest students;
• from an alumnus, $1.5 million, including $500,000 as endowment for the Economics Department;
• from a fellow emeritus, $1 million, including $800,000 for an endowed scholarship;
• from an alumnus, trustee and parent, $1 million to the Brown Annual Fund;
• from an alumnus, $1.02 million, including $670,000 for the exchange program between Brown and Selwyn College, Cambridge;
• from the private foundation of a Brown graduate, $2.4 million, including $2.15 million for an endowed fund to support graduate fellowships, undergraduate teaching and research, and faculty research in the Department of Computer Science;
• from parents and graduates, $2.5 million for an endowed scholarship and graduate fellowships in chemistry and engineering;
• from a trustee emeritus, $2.5 million to establish an endowed professorship in pediatrics;
• from a parent $1 million, including $900,000 for the creative arts.

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