University Initiatives

Through ‘Brown Loves Providence,’ Brown community members turn appreciation into action

February 25, 2026

Brown University students, faculty and staff are uniting to thank and honor Providence and its residents, businesses and officials through acts of appreciation including coordinated giving, local spending and volunteerism.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: A leader on Brown’s dining team, Hout Seng builds community through food

February 19, 2026

Starting in an entry-level role and rising to lead cook at Andrews Commons, Hout Seng channels his passion for food to create moments of comfort, joy and belonging for Brown students.

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University Initiatives

Brown employees take the stage in first-ever ‘Battle of the Bands’ to benefit United Way of Rhode Island

November 13, 2025

The lively concert at the Lindemann Performing Arts Center raised funds for Brown Gives, the University’s annual campaign supporting United Way programs across Rhode Island.

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University Initiatives

Brown expands financial support for graduate student veterans, enhances peer-mentorship program

November 11, 2025

In an important step toward expanded access, Brown will significantly grow funding for U.S. military veterans pursuing graduate degrees, while a generous donation will establish the Cisneros Veterans Scholars Program.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: John Colarusso has built a career at Brown from the ground up

October 16, 2025

Forty years after joining Brown’s staff as a cook’s helper, Colarusso is a manager of structural projects in the University’s Department of Facilities and Campus Operations, helping to maintain the physical campus.

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University Initiatives

With a focus on how to be a good neighbor, new Brown initiative prepares students for off-campus living

September 17, 2025

Through resources, events and outreach, Brunonians Living Off Campus helps students navigate the transition from campus housing to city living, equipping them to be engaged, responsible community members.

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University Initiatives

Photos: From school visits to sports clinics, Brown Bears rally behind Providence kids

August 29, 2025

Through a series of outreach initiatives, Brown Athletics and the University’s student-athletes forge deeper connections between city residents and the campus community.

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University Initiatives

Matched with Rhode Island’s top employers, local students take first steps toward future careers

August 12, 2025

Since 2018, Brown University has hosted dozens of interns through PrepareRI, a statewide initiative that helps high schoolers explore careers, build skills and shape Rhode Island’s future workforce.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: A community builder at heart, Dilania Inoa carves out a lasting career in service

August 1, 2025

As senior manager of community partnerships at the Swearer Center, Inoa has expanded educational opportunities for thousands of local kids while strengthening Brown’s ties to the Providence community.

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University Initiatives

Brown’s Pre-College Programs see local enrollment climb for third straight year

July 25, 2025

With more partnerships and a new scholarship model, the University’s Pre-College Programs are increasing local turnout, enabling more Rhode Island teens to explore academic pathways and college life.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Blending art and technology, Leo Selvaggio helps power creativity at Brown

June 26, 2025

As the Brown Arts Institute’s senior creative technologist, Selvaggio maintains seven of the University’s artistic spaces with meticulous oversight and a tenacious pursuit of creativity.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Lenny Ballesteros feeds his curiosity while keeping the Brown community safe

June 2, 2025

Public Safety Officer Lenny Ballesteros has made unexpected connections on campus through his interests in history and science.

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University Initiatives

Brown University faculty to consider Statement of University Values and Voice

April 30, 2025

The proposed statement from Brown’s Ad-hoc Committee on University Values and Voice outlines four core institutional values for Brown and defines how the University may use its voice publicly.

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University Initiatives

Staff Spotlight: Sowing more than seedlings, Nicholas Vasques cultivates learning and research

April 22, 2025

As Brown’s research greenhouse manager, Vasques tends the Plant Environmental Center run by the University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology.

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University Initiatives

Providence-area students discover college life, future possibilities at Brown’s annual College Day

April 9, 2025

With a full day of classes, campus tours and conversations with Brown community members, local high schoolers got a firsthand look into what college can offer — and how their futures might take shape.

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University Initiatives

For Brown Collegiate Scholars, a year of learning, growth and early college preparation

March 31, 2025

Members of the college-prep program’s inaugural cohort are gaining academic skills and confidence on their four-year path toward admission to and success in college.

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University Initiatives

New initiative addresses community needs through partnerships with Brown scholars, students

March 5, 2025

The Community-Engaged Data and Evaluation Collaborative connects Rhode Island organizations with Brown faculty, students and staff for mutually beneficial partnerships.

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University Initiatives

Brown-led STEM initiative at nearby Hope High School sparks curiosity, confidence, college aspirations

February 24, 2025

Through DEEPS CORES, Brown University students lead hands-on Earth science lessons, mentor Providence high schoolers on pre-college applications, and offer career exploration including paid internships.

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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

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