University Initiatives

Breaking the cycle of cynicism: How hope and trust can transform the world

February 3, 2025

In a campus conversation hosted as part of a new Discovery Through Dialogue community project, psychologist and author Jamil Zaki shared practical strategies for cultivating common ground.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Allison Seeley leans into conversation and community to support students

February 3, 2025

As a health promotion specialist with Student Health and Wellness Services, Seeley is dedicated to helping Brown students develop the skills necessary for lifelong health and well-being.

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University Initiatives

Philanthropy made it possible: Brown celebrates its most successful fundraising campaign to date

January 28, 2025

Launched publicly in 2015, BrownTogether transformed Brown through a decade of unprecedented support that advanced excellence in teaching and research, financial aid, community impact and more.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Wendy Wallace brings lifelong commitment to community to role at Brown

December 18, 2024

As Brown’s director of civic engagement, Wallace draws on her Providence roots to forge collaborative partnerships that empower individuals, promote equity and build a stronger, more vibrant city.

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University Initiatives

With support from Brown, Providence schools transform learning in high school libraries

December 17, 2024

Support from the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence has reinvigorated PPSD high school libraries with expanded collections, updated spaces, and new learning opportunities for students and teachers.

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University Initiatives

Brown leaders outline new initiatives to sustain University’s commitment to diverse student body

December 4, 2024

The University has developed a set of concrete actions with a focus on recruitment, matriculation and retention of a diverse community of students as integral to its mission of academic excellence.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Michael Pimentel on building bodies, minds and community

September 24, 2024

An open-water swimmer and clean waterways advocate, Pimentel brings a passion for health and wellness to his role as strength and conditioning coach and fitness ambassador at Brown.

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University Initiatives

Photos: Local students enjoy after-school fun, adventures at Brown Summer High School

August 1, 2024

For the first time in its 55-year history, Brown's summer enrichment program for Providence-area high schoolers has expanded to include a variety of after-school activities designed to inspire curiosity and foster a love of learning.

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University Initiatives

For 30 inaugural Brown Collegiate Scholars, a successful summer starts a four-year journey

July 31, 2024

Brown University’s new college access program for Providence public school students launched this summer, propelling 30 local teens on a four-year path toward admission and success in college.

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University Initiatives

Making a ‘clean break’ before graduation, in support of local communities

May 30, 2024

Each May, Brown’s Office of Sustainability and Resiliency gathers a wide range of donated items from students moving out of residence halls to donate to organizations in and around Providence.

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University Initiatives

With test-wells across campus, Brown University explores geothermal energy as renewable heat source

November 2, 2023

With a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, data from three test-wells will determine if conversion to a geothermal energy system can provide a renewable approach to heating campus buildings.

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University Initiatives

Brown doubles enrollment of undergraduate U.S. military veterans, permanently funds full scholarships

October 17, 2023

A year ahead of schedule, the University has increased student veteran enrollment and exceeded its fundraising goal, cementing a future that supports veterans from all income levels and U.S. military backgrounds.

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University Initiatives

Part I: Charting a bold path forward, Brown Athletics reimagines the student-athlete experience

October 11, 2023

The first installment in a two-part series highlights how the University is making gains in varsity and club sports competitiveness and expanding recreational programs for athletes at every level of play.

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University Initiatives

Part II: Charting a bold path forward, Brown Athletics reimagines the student-athlete experience

October 11, 2023

The second installment in a two-part series highlights the many ways in which fan participation and community engagement are front and center in a new era for Brown Athletics.

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University Initiatives

New kosher, halal and allergen-aware kitchens serve up inclusivity, nourishment at Brown

September 21, 2023

Dedicated kitchen spaces in Sharpe Refectory provide students from a wide range of religious identities and cultural backgrounds with consistent, convenient access to high-quality meals.

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University Initiatives

Brown launches Center for Career Exploration, significantly expanding support for students developing career paths

August 30, 2023

Deepening the University’s legacy of student-centered learning, the center will expand career advising, resources, programs and partnerships to position students to achieve successful lives and careers.

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University Initiatives

Through Brown interfaith initiatives, students seek intellectual, spiritual pursuits

May 17, 2023

For 70 years, the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life at Brown has championed the importance of discourse, dialogue, and above all, community.

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University Initiatives

With deep local partnerships, Brown Dining Services helps to boost regional food economy

March 16, 2023

As part of its mission to serve fresh, healthy, high-quality foods, Dining Services at Brown directs its spending power to New England food producers, supporting small businesses and helping to spark growth.

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University Initiatives

Dedicated kosher, halal and allergy-friendly kitchen spaces coming to Sharpe Refectory

November 22, 2022

The under-construction spaces, set to open in Fall 2023, deepen Brown’s commitment to supporting students from a wide range of religious identities and cultural backgrounds.

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University Initiatives

With support from Brown, innovative ‘STEAM Room’ opens at Vartan Gregorian Elementary

October 28, 2022

In collaboration with elementary school administrators, the University has transformed an empty third-grade classroom into an interactive, hands-on creative laboratory for young children.

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University Initiatives

Brown celebrates 40 years of Pre-College programs for high schoolers, locally and globally

July 25, 2022

Since the early 1980s, the University has offered a taste of college academics and extracurricular experiences — based on Brown’s distinctive strengths — through a diverse lineup of academic programs for young students.

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University Initiatives

In First Readings, incoming students will examine Brown’s ties to the slave trade

June 16, 2022

For the third year in a row, Brown’s annual shared reading initiative will convene incoming first-year students for rigorous discussions about the University’s landmark Slavery and Justice Report, first released in 2006.

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University Initiatives

Brown adopts land acknowledgment, additional commitments to Native and Indigenous communities

May 24, 2022

The acknowledgment is part of a set of commitments aimed at building a better understanding of the relationship between the University community, Indigenous peoples of the region and the land on which Brown is situated.

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University Initiatives

In partnership with Providence’s Building Futures, Brown jump-starts careers in construction

May 6, 2022

Over 15 years, more than 125 apprentices from Building Futures have trained at dozens of construction sites on Brown’s campus — providing them with the training they need to secure stable, well-paying careers.

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University Initiatives

Brown launches online-only master’s degree in public health

February 23, 2022

An innovative new version of Brown’s MPH program, delivered exclusively online, will expand access to a top public health education for learners nationally and around the world.

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University Initiatives

Together, Brown, Vartan Gregorian Elementary are designing, creating hands-on ‘STEAM room’ for kids

December 8, 2021

Staff at Brown University are working with the Providence public school to transform an empty classroom into an engaging, interactive space where students can conduct experiments and work on creative projects.

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University Initiatives

Scholars, leaders reflect on Brown’s transformative Slavery and Justice Report

November 12, 2021

University leaders, faculty, alumni and students gathered on Friday, Nov. 12, to celebrate a new second edition of the report, discuss the original report’s legacy and debate what work remains at Brown and beyond.

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University Initiatives

Fifteen years after its publication, Brown’s watershed Slavery and Justice Report is reinvigorated

November 12, 2021

A second edition of Brown’s landmark report, which sparked a national conversation on higher education’s entanglements with racial slavery, offers new insights on the document’s persistent and evolving impact.

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University Initiatives

For Health Services at Brown, pandemic has brought 15 months of COVID response and innovation

June 17, 2021

Working with departments across the University, Brown’s student-facing health care providers developed innovative ways to provide COVID-19 care while protecting the broader community from the infectious disease.

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University Initiatives

Brown awards $474,000 to support academic excellence, equity initiatives in Providence schools

April 27, 2021

With its first payout since reaching $10 million in endowed funds, the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence will support critical initiatives outlined in the Turnaround Action Plan for Providence Public Schools.

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University Initiatives

Phase II of Brown’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan to focus on equity, inclusion

April 1, 2021

In launching Phase II of its ambitious action plan, Brown assessed progress to date, reaffirmed the essential role of diversity and inclusion to academic excellence, and outlined new actions toward a more fully equitable community.

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University Initiatives

Brown to disburse $5.4 million in pandemic relief funding to eligible students

March 1, 2021

Provost Richard M. Locke outlined Brown’s distribution model for $4.8 million in federal COVID-19 economic relief funding and an additional $550,000 in University funding to ensure students are treated equitably.

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University Initiatives

$20 million in new giving marks growing support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Brown

February 26, 2021

With continued momentum in support of Brown’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, new BrownTogether gifts and grants are catalyzing research on race and inequity, and supporting students from underrepresented groups.

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University Initiatives

With a focus on serving Rhode Island communities, Brown deepens its partnership with United Way

February 3, 2021

Brown Gives has raised millions of dollars over decades to support United Way in helping Rhode Islanders in need, and the University has pledged a four-year commitment to support the organization’s new strategic plan.

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University Initiatives

For the Brown community, honoring the values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 18, 2021

In the face of enduring systemic racism and profound political divisiveness, Brown President Christina H. Paxson urged students, faculty and staff to uphold the values that define King’s legacy.

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University Initiatives

In Anchor Program, faculty design courses that thrive within pandemic moment

December 18, 2020

Since this summer, over 300 Brown faculty members have completed an online institute run by the Sheridan Center that focused on innovative approaches to developing remote and hybrid courses.

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University Initiatives

Healthy Ambassadors play crucial role in promoting healthy behavior, curbing COVID-19 on campus

November 19, 2020

A new initiative has both encouraged adherence to health protocols, contributing to Brown’s low COVID-19 case count, and mobilized more than 70 staff members whose work responsibilities were altered by the pandemic.

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University Initiatives

Staff members lend creativity, commitment to Brown’s pandemic response

November 19, 2020

Employees from across the University have redefined their roles to address challenges arising from the ongoing pandemic, supporting world-class teaching, research and student opportunities.

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University Initiatives

After faculty vote, federal Election Days designated University holidays at Brown

September 9, 2020

The Brown University faculty voted on Tuesday, Sept. 8, to suspend all University exercises on Election Day during federal election years, beginning this November.

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University Initiatives

Brown launches community-wide effort to promote healthy behaviors during the pandemic

August 27, 2020

A new Brown Takes Care initiative will directly engage students, faculty and staff as storytellers and influencers to promote essential health practices to fight COVID-19, both on campus and in the greater Providence community.

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University Initiatives

At Brown, an innovative mental health care model centers the needs of students

August 12, 2020

By reducing wait times, meeting the urgent needs of students and diversifying its team, Counseling and Psychological Services at Brown is reimagining the most effective ways to provide mental health care on campus.

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University Initiatives

Brown University fully funds $10M endowment to support Providence public schools

July 29, 2020

The University will permanently endow the Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence, which will provide financial support for the city’s Pre-K-12 students through a range of educational initiatives.

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University Initiatives

Letter from President Paxson: Supporting Brown’s International Students

July 8, 2020

President Christina H. Paxson wrote to the campus community about University opposition to new federal guidance on the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and how Brown can best support its international students.

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University Initiatives

Letter from President Paxson: Brown’s actions on climate change

March 4, 2020

President Christina H. Paxson wrote to the campus community on March 4 with an update on Brown’s efforts to confront climate change through net-zero GHG initiatives, halting investments in fossil fuel extraction in the University’s endowment and other efforts.

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University Initiatives

Brown plans new 375-bed residence hall on College Hill campus

February 18, 2020

As envisioned, a new two-building, 130,000-square-foot residence hall will strengthen the residential experience for third- and fourth-year students and reduce the demand for off-campus rentals.

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University Initiatives

Brown celebrates five years of achievement under Building on Distinction

December 10, 2019

After reaching the midpoint of its 10-year strategic plan in 2019, the University released a report highlighting the many accomplishments that have contributed to fulfilling the plan’s vision.

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University Initiatives

Brown joins legal brief to urge continued practical training for international students

November 25, 2019

The future of Optional Practical Training, a long-standing federal program that enables temporary employment for international students at American colleges and universities, is at stake in a U.S. District Court case.

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University Initiatives

Brown to double number of U.S. military veterans enrolled as undergrads by 2024

November 11, 2019

At Brown’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, President Christina H. Paxson announced plans for increased financial aid for student veterans, need-blind and test-optional admission policies and new partnerships to increase the number of veterans at Brown.

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University Initiatives

Brown publishes gift acceptance policy reflecting updates approved by Corporation

October 27, 2019

Updated policy further defines the principles by which gifts are accepted that advance Brown’s mission.

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University Initiatives

New podcast spotlights faculty research at Brown

October 9, 2019

“Faculty in Focus,” hosted by University Provost Richard Locke, features interviews with faculty members about their research and its impact on society.

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University Initiatives

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