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18
East Side Monthly October 2012
their next president. Her work in recent years focused on the impact of childhood health and circumstances on economic and health outcomes over the course of their lives; the impact of the AIDS crisis on children’s health and education in Africa; and the long run consequences of Hurricane Katrina on the mental and physical health of vulnerable populations. She is also a senior editor of The Future of Children and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. She is probably best known in the popular media for her research with Anne Case on the relationship of height to status, intelligence and earnings. While the new president has a lot on her plate as she enters her first few months on the job, the good news is that the school has been doing well in terms of fundraising and that its academic reputation has never been stronger. “President Simmons left the school on an incredibly strong trajectory which I look forward to building upon.” The 11-year presidency of Ruth Simmons at Brown has to be considered one of the more successful in the long history of the university. Her fund-raising prowess was undeniable, with over $1.6 billion raised during the recently completed Capital Campaign. She added well over 100 faculty positions, and the school has begun an exciting expansion of its medical school in the city’s Jewelry District, which has been rechristened as the “Knowledge District.” Unfortunately, her last few months in office turned out to be probably the most tumultuous in her otherwise
well-regarded presidency as she and Mayor Angel Taveras went toe-to-toe over what the school would provide to the City as payments in lieu of taxes. Their very public “he said, she said” escalated into an ugly front page spat that reflected badly on both participants until it was finally resolved during the last few weeks of her tenure. In return for an additional $4.1 million a year in annual funding to the City, Brown was given five streets on or, in the case of Olive Street, near its campus, plus the use of 250 parking spots on a partial basis through a resident sticker program. In the end, most people accepted the deal as reasonable, though a few continue to feel the City may have given away too much. It is impossible not to be impressed with Paxson’s spirit and enthusiasm as she prepares for her official inauguration that will take place on October 26 and 27. We were meeting on that one day every fall when the Van Wickle Gates on Prospect Street are opened to admit students as part of convocation ceremony. As Paxson welcomed her first class of freshman with a convocation speech entitled “Constructive Irreverence,” she now feels that with the return of the students, “my job has officially begun.” In terms of her vision for Brown, Paxson acknowledges the actual specifics are very much a work in progress and of course will need to be approved by the Board of Trustees. But she did offer some general guidelines of things that are important to her. “First and foremost, Brown is a very inclusive place so it’s important that
any strategic process engage as wide a range of people as possible. It’s all about the gathering of ideas. Health and health care have always been important to me so what is happening in the Jewelry District with the Medical School is especially exciting to me.” She also expressed a determination to integrate the school’s national reputation for top-tier academics with an expanded commitment to research, and feels Brown is ideally positioned to excel in both. Given her interdisciplinary background at Princeton, President Paxson also feels particularly comfortable in a school that has been committed to the concept for years. While the new president acknowledges the university will continue to grow, she promises any expansion will be done thoughtfully. “Space here on College Hill is limited and does not lend itself to a project whose footprint is large. So we will have to look at other areas of the city.” And while she loves what’s happening with the Alpert Medical School downtown, there is all that new land freed up by I-195. Anything she’d like to share with us? With a smile she deftly deflects the question. “Nothing I can talk about,” she laughs. And then there’s Thayer Street. “I already know that parking is a problem there for all of us. I also know that this is an area that’s important to both the university and the adjoining community. So it’s an area that needs to be considered carefully. I’m also very mindful of our obligations to be a good neighbor to the community.” On a more personal level, it’s obvious the new president will be much
A list of Brown University’s presidents from 1765 to present 1. Reverend James Manning, 1765- 6. Reverend Alexis Caswell (class of 12. Barnaby Keeney, 1955-1966. 1791, established the College in the 1822), 1868-1872. English Colony of Rhode Island and 13. Ray Heffner, 1966-1969, Providence Plantations in Warren in 7. Reverend Ezekiel Robinson passed new curriculum. 1765, and then moved it to College (class of 1838), 1872-1889, instituted Hill in Providence in 1770. graduate study. 14. Donald Hornig, 1970-1976, merged Pembroke with Brown and 2. Reverend Jonathan Maxcy (class 8. Reverend Elisha Andrews (class re-founded the Medical School. of 1787), 1792-1802, was the first of 1870), 1889-1898, founded the alum to be president. Women’s College. 15. Howard Swearer, 1977-1988. 3. Reverend Asa Messer (class of 9. Reverend William Faunce (class of 16. Vartan Gregorian, 1989-1997. 1790), 1802-1826, renamed the College 1880), 1899-1929, renamed the Womin the English Colony of Rhode Island en’s College as Pembroke College. 17. Gordon Gee, 1998-2000. and Providence Plantations as Brown University. Under his leadership, the 10. Reverend Clarence Barbour (class 18. Ruth Simmons, 2001-2012, first Medical School was founded.
4. Reverend Francis Wayland, 1827-
1855, suspended the Medical School.
5. Reverend Barnas Sears (class of
1825), 1855-1867.
of 1888), 1929-1937, was the last in a long line of Baptist minister presidents.
11. Henry Wriston, 1937-1955, was
the first non-Baptist (Methodist) president and the first since Wayland who was not an alum.
was named by Time magazine as America’s best college president in 2001. She was the first woman and first African-American president of an Ivy League school.
19. Christina Paxson, 2012-present.