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Distributed June 5, 2006
Contact Deborah Goldstein

The Corporation of Brown University has voted to name the new $95-million Life Sciences Building after one of the University’s honored benefactors, Sidney E. Frank. The fellows and trustees also approved establishment of four new professorships, voted to expand the size of the Brown Medical School student body, and acted to divest from eight additional companies currently conducting business in Sudan.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — At its regular spring business meeting on Friday, May 26, 2006, the Corporation of Brown University approved a recommendation by President Ruth J. Simmons to name the new Life Sciences Building in honor of Sidney E. Frank.

Frank, a 1942 Brown graduate, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who gave generously to his alma mater, including the largest single gift in the University’s history – $100 million in support of undergraduate financial aid in September 2004. He received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University in 2005, less than one year before his death.

The Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, one of the largest facility projects undertaken in University history, will be a 168,800-square-foot research center housing more than 50 new laboratories. It will be formally dedicated in a ceremony scheduled for October 6-7, 2006.

New Professorships

The Corporation approved the establishment of four professorships, funded by the individuals for whom they are named. Professorships are one of the highest priorities of the University’s $1.4-billion Campaign for Academic Enrichment. The following are effective immediately:

• The Julie Nguyen Brown Professorship in Computational and Mathematical Science
• The Frederick Lippitt Professorship in Public Policy
• The Frederick Lippitt Professorship in American History
• The Paul R. Dupee, Jr. Professorship of Social Science

Brown Medical School Expansions

Acting on a series of goals established in February 2004 for the Division of Biology and Medicine, the Corporation voted to expand the size of the Brown Medical School student body and develop a standard admission route, while maintaining the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME).

The Corporation first approved a recommendation of the faculty that Brown Medical School (BMS) admission policy be amended to allow for standard admission of qualified candidates, effective July 1, 2006. The decision makes permanent a pilot program begun in 2004 to allow qualified students from any college or university to apply to BMS, rather than requiring students to apply only through PLME, the Brown Avenue, the Early Identification Programs, or pre-medical post-baccalaureate programs from colleges and universities with which Brown has established agreements.

In a related action, the Corporation approved expanding the target size of the BMS student body, which will increase enrollment by approximately 25 percent over the next six years.

Divestment

The Brown Corporation voted at its February 2006 meeting to divest from companies whose business activities can be shown to be supporting and facilitating the Sudanese government in its continuing sponsorship of genocidal actions and human rights violations in Darfur. In addition to six companies designated for exclusion from University investment in March 2006, The Corporation acted to similarly exclude the following eight companies: Lundin Petroleum, Nam Fatt, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, PECD, Schlumberger, Alstom, Harbin Power Equipment Co., and Bharat Heavy Electricals.

It is anticipated that as circumstances and events in that region of the world unfold, the list of companies excluded from direct investment will need to be monitored and may be subject to change. The administration and Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing will monitor the situation and make recommendations, as necessary, to the Advisory and Executive Committee.

Acceptance of Gifts

The Corporation also accepted a number of gifts, including:

• from a Brown parent, a gift of $5 million for the Creative Arts Building and the Brown-Trinity Consortium/M.F.A Program;
• from Josh and Genine Fidler, Class of 1977 and parents of a 2004 graduate, a gift of $2,025,000, $1,000,000 of which will be for an endowed fund for undergraduate advising, $500,000 for the Creative Arts Building, $500,000 for the Brown Annual Fund, and $25,000 for the Brown University Sports Foundation;
• from an alumna and her husband, a gift of $1 million in support of medical student financial aid.

Appointment of Faculty to Named Professorships

The Corporation approved the appointment of the following members of the faculty to named professorships:

• Susan Alcock, Joukowsky Family Professor in Archaeology and professor of classics;
• Eugene Charniak, University Professor of Computer Science and professor of computer science;
• William A. Curtin, Elisha Benjamin Andrews Professor and professor of engineering;
• Huajian Gao, Walter H. Annenberg Professor and professor of engineering;
• Sorin Istrail, Julie Nguyen Brown Professor in Computational and Mathematical Sciences and professor of computer science;
• J. Michael Kosterlitz, Harrison E. Farnsworth Professor of Physics and professor of physics;
• Charles Larmore, W. Duncan MacMillan Family Professor of the Humanities and professor of philosophy;
• Saul Olyan, Samuel Ungerleider, Jr. Professor of Judaic Studies, professor of Judaic studies, and professor of religious studies;
• Marion Orr, Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy and professor of political science and urban studies;
• Michael A. Paradiso, Sidney A. Fox and Dorothea Doctors Fox Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and professor of neuroscience;
• John M. Sedivy, Hermon C. Bumpus Professor in Biology and professor of medical science;
• Michael Steinberg, Barnaby Conrad and Mary Critchfield Keeney Professor of History, professor of history, and professor of music;
• Rajiv Vohra, Ford Foundation Professor and professor of economics;
• Timothy R. T. Bewes, William A. Dyer, Jr. Assistant Professor of the Humanities and assistant professor of English;
• Ugur Cetintemel, Manning Assistant Professor and assistant professor of computer science;
• Marcus Spradlin, Manning Assistant Professor and assistant professor of physics;
• Anastasia Volovich, Richard and Edna Salomon Assistant Professor and assistant professor of physics;
• Mark Zervas, Manning Assistant Professor and assistant professor of biology.

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