A History of Sustained Academic Excellence

Throughout its history, Brown University has embodied its mission of cultivating knowledge in a spirit of free inquiry.

This interactive timeline tells the story of a University forged by a commitment to sustained academic excellence; a shared ethos that values discovery, creativity and collaboration; and the persistent drive — by its community of faculty, students, staff and alumni — to build a better Brown.

The timeline chronicles milestones of more than 250 years, including Brown’s founding in 1764 on the idea of admitting students regardless of religious affiliation, the introduction of the first women to begin studies at Brown in 1891, the 1969 adoption of the “New Curriculum” that continues to define the undergraduate experience, the 2004 report confronting the University’s relationship to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, and the diversity and inclusion action plan established in 2016 to foster an academic community that embodies the social and intellectual diversity of the world.

The University has been shaped by the addition of schools, institutes and degree programs, by changes to the physical campus, and by strategic planning processes that have built the Brown of today.

Brown is building a legacy of making a transformative impact on the world, retaining a commitment to the belief that education and scholarly inquiry are vital to the advancement of society.

1600–1759

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    "...unto me in my distresse, called the place PROVIDENCE..."

  • Chad Brown Arrives in Rhode Island

    The Reverend Chad Brown was the founding father of the Brown family in America. After emigrating from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he soon made his way to Providence. Here, he assumed the leadership of the First Baptist Church in...

  • Beginnings of Baptist Education in America

    Established in 1756, Hopewell Academy in New Jersey was the first educational institution sponsored by the Baptists in the American colonies. The secondary school educated a number of men who would be instrumental to...

1760–1769

  • Baptists Decide to Found a College in New England

    In late 1762, a group of Baptist leaders met in Philadelphia, among them Morgan Edwards, who made a motion for the establishment of a Baptist college in New England. Rhode Island, one of the few colonies without a college, and a growing...

  • College Charter Granted

    The charter was approved by the Rhode Island legislature in the Spring of 1764. The new “Rhode Island College” was the third college in New England and only the seventh in America. In keeping with the spirit of religious freedom brought to...

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    “Whereas Institutions for liberal Education are highly beneficial to Society, by forming the rising Generation to Virtue Knowledge & useful Literature & thus preserving in the Community a Succession of Men duly qualify’d

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  • First Meeting of the Corporation, Newport

    At the first meeting of the Corporation that would run the new college, members were sworn in and the business of fundraising rose to the fore. Among the organization’s members were Nicholas Brown, one of four Brown brothers and father of...

  • The First Student

    The College’s first student was its only student. For the first year, 14-year-old William Rogers studied alone with James Manning in the parsonage of the Baptist Church in Warren. After graduating from the College in 1769, he went on to...

  • First Commencement Held in Warren

    At the first commencement, held at the Baptist Church in Warren, seven students were awarded degrees. Initiating a tradition of commencement debates, students presented arguments on both sides of the statement: “The Americans, in their...

1770–1779

  • A Permanent Home in Providence

    After years of competition among the communities of Rhode Island and strong advocacy by both the Brown family and city leaders, the decision was finally made to make the College’s permanent home in Providence. With a number of factors in...

  • Steps to Revolution

    A significant event in the lead-up to the American Revolution took place just miles from the College. The British customs schooner HMS Gaspee ran aground in Warwick. In one of the earliest acts of resistance to British rule,...

1790–1799

  • Visit by President George Washington

    While the second day of the President’s visit was devoted to speeches and addresses, it was the evening of his arrival that was, perhaps, most memorable. After sailing from Newport, he landed in Providence to a greeting of “discharge of...

1800–1809

  • Enrollment Passes 100 Students

    The number of students enrolled in the College grew steadily in the late 1700s, reaching 107, as listed in the first printed Catalogue of the Officers and Students, in 1800. The names of the students and their home states were...

  • Third President: Asa Messer

    Asa Messer, Class of 1790, served in a variety of functions at the College including tutor, librarian and professor of both “learned languages” and “natural philosophy” before being named first president pro tempore and, finally, president...

1840–1849

  • Engineering Program Established

    Established in 1847, Brown’s Engineering program was the first in the Ivy League and the third civilian engineering program in the country.

1860–1869

1890–1899

1920–1929

  • Legendary Professor Does Not Give Lecture

    Although the note on the University Hall bulletin board promised a lecture by one J. S. Carberry, the presentation did not take place. Josiah Stinkney Carberry, the immediately legendary “Professor of Psychoceramics” (cracked pots), would go...

1950–1959

  • Historic Preservation of College Hill

    In 1959, the Providence City Plan Commission and Providence Preservation Society published a report, College Hill: A Demonstration Study of Historic Area Renewal, which served as a local and national model for preservation...

1960–1969

  • Return of Medical Education

    In 1963, Brown initiated a six-year program leading to a Master of Medical Science degree. It had been 136 years since Brown’s short-lived foray into medical education in the 1820s. This time, the program would grow, with clinical training...

2000–2009

  • Plan for Academic Enrichment

    In 2002, President Ruth Simmons launched an ambitious program of academic enrichment. Initiatives undertaken as a result of the Plan included: increasing the size of the faculty, providing resources to advance scholarship and teaching and...

2010–2019

  • School of Engineering Established

    With the oldest undergraduate engineering program in the Ivy League and third-oldest civilian engineering program in the country, in 2010, Brown transformed its Division of Engineering into the Brown School of Engineering. The new school...

  • School of Public Health Opened

    In July 2013, the new Brown School of Public Health officially opened. The transformation from the Public Health Program made the School of Public Health Brown’s third professional school, along with the Alpert Medical School and the School...

  • Celebrating 250 Years

    A 15-month celebration kicked off March 7-8, 2014 with a two-day open house for Rhode Island neighbors and school children, fireworks and a 600-pound birthday cake. Over 444 days, thousands of revelers arrived from around the world to...

  • School of Professional Studies Established

    With its origins dating back three decades to Brown’s summer and continuing studies program, the School of Professional Studies was established as a standalone school in 2014 under the leadership of inaugural dean Karen Sibley. Through a...

  • Building on Distinction: A New Plan for Brown

    The 10-year strategic plan, launched in 2014, offers the broad vision and goals to ensure the university’s capacity to fulfill its mission of teaching, research and service at the highest levels over the next decade.

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  • Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

    After an engagement process involving campus-wide discussion and input, President Paxson shared the Action Plan on February 1, 2016. It articulates Brown’s commitment to diversity, outlining a set of concrete, achievable actions to make the...

  • Indigenous People’s Day

    In February 2016, the Brown faculty voted to designate the second Monday in October as Indigenous People’s Day. The motion stated that renaming the day “would recognize the contributions of Indigenous People/Native Americans to our community...

  • First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center

    Among the first of its kind in the nation upon its Fall 2016 launch, the center serves students who identify with any aspect of the first-generation or low-income experience, including international, undocumented, transfer and graduate...

  • 125 Years of Women at Brown

    In May 2017, more than 700 alumnae returned for a two-day 125 Years of Women at Brown celebration, with attendees ranging from graduating classes in the 1950s through the Class of 2016. Alumnae leaders in education, public policy, government...

  • The Brown Promise: The Future of Financial Aid at Brown

    With the opening of the 2018-19 academic year, the University launched its initiative that replaced University-packaged loans with scholarship funds in financial aid packages for all returning and incoming undergraduate students. The move...