Useful news for Brown parents
Brown Parents Newsletter
Issue No. 6, May 2014

Dear Brown Parents,

It’s amazing the quantity and quality of learning, research, writing, playing, creating, and discovering that Brown students can cram into the nine months of an academic year. Equally amazing is the speed with which that time passes!

Warm congratulations to all parents whose students are graduating this month. Commencement Weekend is a grand series of traditions and events, and its elaborate, multi-phased pageantry – while exhilarating – can also be a little perplexing to families. I encourage you to review the Commencement web site to familiarize yourself with the elements of the weekend that will provide your students with a graduation experience worthy of their remarkable years here.

(Parents of students graduating May 24, 2015: You may wish to make hotel reservations soon!)

This has been an incredibly exciting year to be at Brown, between the launch of the 250th anniversary celebration and President Paxson’s strategic plan, Building on Distinction, beginning to come to life on campus. A major tenet of the plan focuses on "integrative scholarship" – excellence at the intersection of disparate disciplines around a theme. The announcement last month of the Institute for the Study of Environment and Society (ISES) is a prime example: the interdisciplinary institute will bring together a wide range of faculty with diverse areas of expertise to address complicated questions around environmental processes and change.

Best wishes to your families for a summer that is by turns productive and restorative. We hope to see you on campus soon.

Warm regards,

Rachel Spaulding ’00
Director, Brown Parents Program

Giving to Brown

Important Upcoming Dates

May 17
Dorms close

May 25
Commencement

June 23
Summer session begins

August 8
Summer session ends

August 30
Beginning of college orientation

September 2
Opening Convocation for students

September 3
First day of fall semester classes

October 24-26
Family Weekend

Parent Resources

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Commencement 2014 : Next week – find all you need to know here!
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Brown’s 250th Anniversary : Be part of the celebration!
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Building on Distinction : President Paxson’s Strategic Plan for Brown
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Information Resources for Brown Parents:
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News from Brown : subscribe today!
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Brown Daily Herald : subscribe today!

Resource Highlight

BRUnet

BRUnet – Brown’s Career Network

BRUnet is Brown’s career network not only for alumni, but also for current students. Through this platform, students can connect with more than 5,500 alumni who have volunteered to share their professional experiences and expertise through informational interviews.

Students and alumni use this networking resource for many reasons, including exploring new career fields, seeking industry contacts, or making plans for graduate school. Share this information with your student (or grad!) today.

Campus News

TEDx

Students Share Their Passions

Seven undergraduates delivered inspired talks on topics ranging from narrative medicine to the importance of studying underrepresented languages.

Read about TedxBrownU
Women's Rugby

Women’s Rugby Gets an Upgrade

Next fall, Brown women’s rugby will trade in its club status to compete at the Division I level. Since 2008, the team has won four Ivy League titles.

Get in on the scrum
Orientation

Brown Admits Most Diverse Class in School History

All 50 states and 88 nations are represented among the class of 2018’s admitted students.

See the stats
Watson Institute

Watson Undergraduate Fellows Program Expands

Previously only available to international relations or development studies concentrators, the WUF program will now accept applications from rising seniors from any discipline.

More on the WUF Program

Faculty and Research

Brazil Initiative

Introducing the Brazil Initiative

Led by Professor James N. Green, the Brazil Initiative launched its Opening Archives Project, releasing over 10,000 declassified U.S. State Department documents on Brazil.

Learn about the initiative
Professor Kenneth Miller

Science and Faith

Biologist and Professor Kenneth Miller has been awarded the Laetare Medal, the most prestigious honor given to an American Catholic.

Details on the award
Robots

Partying with Robots

The Pizzitola Sports Center held the first-ever Rhode Island Robot Block Party, which featured creations from Brown roboticists.

See some bots in action
Cancer Research

Making Strides in Cancer Research

For twenty years, the Brown University Oncology Research Group has worked with Rhode Island cancer doctors in search of better treatment options with extraordinary, promising results.

Read more about BrUOG
Steel

A Stronger Steel

Researchers from Brown partnered with Chinese scholars and discovered a new way to strengthen steel without compromising its ductility.

Find out how here

Brown Parents Program

Give NowIn just 44 days, Brown’s fiscal year will come to a close (June 30, 2014). Over the next 6 weeks you will hear from Brown often, asking for your support as we work hard to reach our fundraising goals for the year. Please think about supporting Brown and all that it has been to your child and family over your time as Brown parents.

This year, the Brown Parents Program is working tirelessly to raise almost $7 million in funds for the Brown Annual Fund and an additional $2.6 million for athletics through the Brown Sports Foundation. Parents continue to be critical supporters of the University, with almost 20 percent of all philanthropic support coming from our parent community. To those of you who have already contributed to Brown: thank you.

Congratulations to all of our Brown seniors who are graduating next weekend. Best wishes for a wonderful summer!

Rachel Spaulding ’00
Director, Parents Program
401-863-6037
Rachel_Spaulding@brown.edu

Nicole Peters
Director, Parents Annual Fund
401-863-1893
Nicole_Peters@brown.edu

Laura Smith ’06
Senior Officer, Parents Program
401-863-3941
Laura_Beth_Smith@brown.edu

Janet Neff
Associate, Parents Program
401-863-6758
Janet_Neff@brown.edu

Other comments, questions or ideas?
We would love to hear from you: families@brown.edu or Brown Parents Program, Box 1893, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Past Newsletters:
December 2012
April 2013
October 2013
December 2013
March 2014

You are receiving this email because you are a parent of a Brown student or graduate. If you do not wish to receive the Brown Parents Newsletter, please send an unsubscribe message and include your full name and child's class year in the email.

Brown Parents Program
Brown University, Box 1893, Providence, RI 02912, USA