Winter 2022 Newsletter

Brown’s 2022 Veterans Day ceremony honors the service of veterans past, present, and future

U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Gilbert Cisneros AM’15 speaks during Brown's Veterans Day Ceremony.

On Veterans Day, U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Forces Jack Reed and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Gilbert Cisneros AM’15 joined University leaders, student veterans, and Brown ROTC students to honor the service of all members of the nation’s military. More than 200 Brown and Rhode Island community members gathered near the Soldier’s Memorial Gate to hear remarks from Reed, Cisneros, and U.S. Navy veteran and current first-year student Terren Wise ’26. Speakers honored the historic legacy of student military service on Brown’s campus and celebrated both the success of Brown’s flourishing ROTC program and the commitment to increase undergraduate veteran enrollment.

Brown University Veterans Alumni Council Veterans Day Event

Following the University’s ceremony, the Brown University Veterans Alumni Council (BUVAC) held its annual Veterans Day luncheon and event at the Brown Faculty Club. More than 70 guests joined Cisneros, members of the Watson Institute’s Military Fellows program, and current Brown ROTC students for an engaging panel discussion. Jonathan Bott (Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, visiting scholar in international and public affairs), Jake Lunsford MPA’22 (Major, US. Marine Corps, visiting scholar in international and public affairs), Gerilyn Maselli ’23 (Cadet, U.S. Army ROTC), and Jack Montgomery ’23 (Midshipman, U.S. Navy ROTC) discussed their reasons for serving our country in a conversation moderated by David Polatty P’22 (Captain, ret., U.S. Navy, senior fellow and director, Watson Institute Military Fellows program).

A Special Tribute

An especially touching moment during the program occurred when BUVAC co-chair Larry Eichler P’09 shared a tribute to fellow co-chair Joe Santarlasci, Jr. ’67. “It pains me to share that our dear friend Joe Santarlasci, class of 1967, who was co-chair and co-founder of BUVAC, passed away two weeks ago. Joe earned his Naval commission through ROTC here at Brown, and then proudly served his country as a lieutenant with two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal. Joe was the duty officer on board the USS Hornet for the recovery of the Apollo 11 astronauts when they splashed down in the Pacific on July 24, 1969. One of my favorite pictures Joe shared with me was him standing on the deck with the nuclear football right behind President Nixon. Joe was looking forward to being with all of us today, and we all feel his absence. It was fitting for Joe to be honored with the seven bell tolls at the Veterans Day Ceremony earlier today. We are grateful to have his wife Betsy here to share this day with us and celebrate Joe’s spirit and dedication to the military-affiliated community at Brown.”

U.S. Navy veteran Terren Wise ’26 dives deep into Brown’s Open Curriculum

Terren Wise ’26 is redefining the typical first-year experience. Prior to coming to Brown, the Minnesota native served as a nuclear submarine mechanic for nine years in the U.S. Navy. As he continues to transition back to civilian life, Wise is making the most of Brown’s Open Curriculum by exploring a holistic set of academic interests and student experiences. Empowered by the new path he has forged at Brown, Wise is equally passionate about mentoring fellow veterans and Resumed Undergraduate Education students as they navigate their own academic journeys. Wise delivered the keynote student veteran address at this year’s Veterans Day ceremony, paying homage to the breadth of resilience within Brown’s veteran community.

Brown on track to double veteran undergraduate population by fall 2023

Brown is on course to double its undergraduate veteran population in just three years, one year earlier than the University's ambitious goal of 2024. When President Christina H. Paxson first announced the initiative in 2019, there were 21 undergraduate veterans enrolled at Brown. Thanks to the ongoing support of the Brown veteran community and a generous financial gift from Joseph P. Healey P’22, P’24, there are currently 41 undergraduate veterans on Brown’s campus. According to the Office of Military-Affiliated Students (OMAS), the University is set to officially surpass its goal next fall.

In its second year, the Military Fellows program continues to bridge the civilian-military divide

As immersed members of the Brown community, visiting scholars in the Military Fellows program’s 2021 cohort transcended traditional bureaucratic barriers to increase collaboration between the academic and defense communities. Founded in 2019, the Military Fellows program at the Watson Institute selects an accomplished group of U.S. and international military officers to join the Brown community for a year-long, collaborative fellowship. As fellows, the visiting officers are invited to audit graduate-level courses and seminars, participate in a security-focused research working group, and share their own unique expertise as guest lecturers at the Watson Institute.

5 questions for a Brunonian: Navy veteran Richard Edgar ’47

On July 1, 1944, future naval officer Richard Edgar ’47 was ordered to report for active duty at the Brown University V-12 unit. At the time, he had never even heard of Brown University, much less imagined that he could one day attend. However, while earning his undergraduate degree through the Navy College Training Program, Edgar developed a passion for engineering that would chart a course for the rest of his 38-year career as a military officer. Now, this veteran and former Boeing and General Electric engineer is giving back to the Brown community that empowered him as a young naval officer. Read his full story.

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Staying in touch with the alumni veteran community

•  Is your alumni record up to date? To ensure you are kept updated about any upcoming veteran-related programs or information at Brown, email alumniveterans@brown.edu with your branch, dates of service, and anything else you’d like to share. Thank you for your service!

•  Help expand the BUVAC mailing list. Do you know anyone interested in Brown military-affiliated news and events? Please share this newsletter and encourage your classmates, peers, and networks to join the BUVAC mailing list by emailing alumniveterans@brown.edu.

•  Interested in finding out more about how Brown supports veteran and ROTC students? OMAS offers programs and services to help Brown students make successful transitions by connecting them with campus and community resources, facilitating learning opportunities, providing space for shared conversation, and more. The OMAS website includes details on Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC.

•  Keep up with Brown alumni veteran affairs. Visit Brown’s Alumni & Friends website for more information on BUVAC and its alumni-student mentoring program, updates on the University’s initiative to bring more veterans to College Hill, and links to past newsletters.

•  Support the Veterans Financial Aid Initiative. Learn more about Brown’s initiative to expand financial aid for veterans and consider making a gift in support of this critical priority.