Members of the Faculty,

I am writing to announce the establishment of the Provost’s Visiting Professors program, a University-wide initiative to bring clusters of exceptional faculty from historically underrepresented groups (HUGs) to Brown for periods ranging from six to 24 months. Together with other programs and initiatives, the Provost’s Visiting Professors will contribute to creating a vibrant and diverse community of scholars across the academic disciplines at Brown.

Through the University’s strategic plan, Building on Distinction, and the Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, Brown is renewing and reinforcing its commitment to excellence by engaging increasingly diverse populations of exceptional students and faculty. The Provost’s Visiting Professors program will be part of a coordinated pipeline spanning pre-college, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral and faculty levels designed to achieve this. Visiting professors will contribute to the community through their scholarship, as well as through teaching and programming aligned with their research.

The program will be highly competitive, attracting accomplished scholars who are making distinctive contributions to their fields. It will be directed by Christopher Rose, professor of Engineering and associate dean of the faculty for special initiatives, who will work with a committee of senior faculty to solicit and review nominations and applications and provide overall program governance. In addition to Professor Christopher Rose, I am grateful that the following faculty members have agreed to serve on the committee, on which Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin and I will serve, ex-officio:

• Amanda Anderson, Director, Cogut Center for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Humanities and English
• Wayne D. Bowen, Upjohn Professor of Pharmacology, Professor of Biology and Chair, Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology
• Tricia Rose, Director, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America, Professor of Africana Studies
• Robert Self, Mary Ann Lippitt Professor of American History and Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence

Nominations for the visiting professorships will be solicited broadly, including from the campus community and directly from scholars interested in applying for the positions. Initial plans call for up to four new visitors per year.

The Committee will communicate with departments to share program requirements and details. If you have suggestions for potential candidates, please contact [email protected].

I look forward to moving forward with this initiative, which will help Brown build a critical mass of diverse faculty and scholars and reinforce the University’s commitment to cultivating an open and rigorous academic community.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Locke
Provost