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Winter Newsletter 2023
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In this issue:
Winter action items • Engage your class this holiday season • Brown CAN pilot • Black Alumni Reunion reflection • Bears beat Penn • Brown gift guide • Upcoming events • Planning for Reunion 2024 • Class leader resources
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Holiday Greetings
Wishing you peace this holiday season.
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Winter action items for class leaders
- Send a holiday greeting to your class (see the next section for some great ideas)
- If your class ends in an 8 or a 3, it’s time to start thinking about recruiting new class leaders
- Follow the ACL on social media!
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Ways to engage your class this holiday season
By Aliza Knox
Once I ❤ Brown Day passes in November, how do you engage your classmates during the holiday season? Here are a few ideas to finish off the year strong and keep the celebrations going, with Brown in mind:
- Suggest class meet-ups at events already happening at Brown clubs in your cities
- Hold holiday parties on Zoom so you can reach more classmates — you can do cheese or wine tastings where everyone orders the same items and an expert speaks about them, or test people's knowledge and insights with a trivia night
- Hold a Zoom speed reunion session — get your classmates online and use the random breakout feature to put folks into small groups to reconnect or meet for the first time
- Send an email to your class sharing the Brown holiday gift suggestion link
- Send a Brown-themed year-end holiday greeting to your classmates
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Brown Community-Engaged Alumni Network (Brown CAN) Pilot
Brown’s Office of Alumni Relations is piloting a new initiative called the Brown Community-Engaged Alumni Network (Brown CAN), in partnership with the Swearer Center for Public Service.
For decades, the Swearer Center has collaborated with community organizations, providing opportunities for students to engage and volunteer with K-12 schools, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and other community-based groups in Providence, Rhode Island, and beyond. Brown CAN seeks to expand this work to the alumni and friends community, where we know there is invaluable professional expertise as well as a shared commitment to the greater good.
Starting with a small cohort of alumni and longstanding community partners, we eventually plan to sustainably scale this initiative to include more opportunities in Rhode Island and beyond. During this pilot phase, we are looking for Brown alumni to participate in one of the following ways:
✎ Offering in-person afterschool homework help or extra-curricular enrichment to students at Providence’s William D’Abate Elementary School.
💡 Volunteer consulting (virtually or in-person) on fundraising and fund development, marketing and communications, and strategy and governance for local Rhode Island nonprofit organizations.
Interested in learning more? Email BrownCAN@brown.edu with your interest and experience so we can share more about these opportunities.
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2023 Black Alumni Reunion: Reimagining the future of Brown’s Black community
A record-breaking 716 alumni, 260 students, and 187 guests came together from across generations to celebrate the evolution of the Black experience at Brown while cultivating a greater sense of belonging. Past ACL President Harry Holt Jr. ’84, P’16 attended the memorable and inspiring weekend along with his daughter Nancy E. Holt ’16.
Reflections on the Black Alumni Reunion experience
By Harry William Holt Jr. ’84, P’16
The Black Alumni Reunion held on October 27-29, 2023, drew 1,163 attendees, including alumni, students, and guests. The weekend was full of robust programming, memorable events, and heartwarming camaraderie. The planning committee, on which I was honored to serve, met for months to plan and organize the weekend activities. My focus was on the Churchill House Dedication and planning the Gospel Fest along with Loni Berry ’76 AM ’89. It was inspiring to recruit gospel choir members and share my African drumming passion with my student co-drummer and the Gospel Fest attendees.
Returning to Brown for the Black Alumni Reunion was the first time my daughter Nancy E. Holt ’16 had returned to College Hill since her 2016 graduation, making this a very special occasion for us both. When we gathered in Alumnae Hall to rehearse for the Gospel Fest on Saturday morning, it was the first time we had connected since she arrived from her home in Arizona. I was so proud to introduce Nancy to my classmates and alumni, friends, staff, and faculty.
During the Affinity Connection Community Lunch, Nancy and I immediately found people with whom we had things in common — whether it was our love for travel, our passion for African history and culture, or for the life-changing benefits of the Open Curriculum and the freedom it allows students to make the most out of our time at Brown.
I enjoyed the intergenerationality of the Community Lunch – we met alumni from the 90s and early 2000s. After lunch, Nancy spotted some of her people, leaving me in the wind, and I attended the screening of “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.” The film revealed many things about Rosa Parks’ life that were unknown to me – it was very emotional. The moderator, Riche Holmes Grant ’99, provided context and insight to this powerful movie.
Post-lunch I hung out on the green with some of my fraternity brothers and friends. It reminded us of our many afternoons on the green – a real trip down memory lane. That evening, I joined some alumni from the 70s, Trustee Eldridge Gilbert and President Christina H. Paxson at the Celebration Dinner. The highlight for me was the celebration of Judy Sanford-Harris, recognition of the IPC scholars and the performance by Shades of Brown.
Funk Nite followed, where I showed off my moves along with my daughter, fellow classmates, old girlfriends, and engineering advisory council buddies along with alumni from the 70s through 2020s. It was great fun!
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Class of ’84 friends Vanoy Harris, Tuneen Chisolm, Mark Jenkins, Harry Holt and Phil Jefferson catching up at the Black Alumni Reunion.
Sunday’s Gospel Fest opened with me and my fellow drummer (a RUE student) playing the African drums. Following, the choir, including my daughter Nancy and me, took our place in the rafters to sing. My daughter and I agreed that the experience — rejoicing and reflecting on the history of choirs at Brown — was truly moving.
As the weekend came to a close and we made our way down College Hill, I could only think how amazing and special Brown is. I look forward to the next time I am beckoned to Providence, to walk through the Van Wickle Gates and welcome more future alumni into the fold and the full world of the best university on this planet – Brown University.
Because of the dedication of staff, faculty, administration, and leadership, the Black Alumni Reunion was a magical and inspiring experience.
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Brown Bears beat Penn in a historic face-off
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Jennie Pritzker ’00 and her family enjoying the Brown vs. Penn game with Bill Taylor ’75
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On October 27, Brown beat Penn 30-26 in a historic game at Penn’s Franklin Field. Before the match, Brown and Penn honored former quarterbacks Dennis Coleman and Marty Vaughn. Dennis and Marty have the distinction of being the first African-American quarterbacks to start against each other in an Ivy League game in 1973 and this marked the 50th anniversary of that historic day. Read more coverage of the game.
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BAM gift guide
By Jennie Pritzker ’00
It’s the holiday season and that means one thing – it’s time for the Brown Alumni Magazine gift guide! Every year, the BAM features unique and special gift ideas, all created by Brown alums. Not only is this a great way to complete your holiday shopping list with meaningful items, but it’s also a great way to see some of the amazing projects that our fellow Brown alums have created.
Here are just a few of the items featured in this year’s guide:
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Upcoming events
SAVE THE DATE FOR THE ANNUAL VOLUNTEER SUMMIT – March 8, 2024
We look forward to welcoming you to our first-ever West Coast-based Volunteer Summit!
The annual Volunteer Summit provides a forum for volunteers like you to reconnect with classmates and peers, build new relationships, and celebrate their collective impact. Join us to hear from Brown’s faculty and administrative leaders, and to learn about innovative ways to engage and inspire your communities.
Volunteer Summit 2024
Friday, March 8, 2024
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Commonwealth Club
110 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA
For your convenience, a block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency. Learn more and reserve your room now — availability is limited. Please direct any questions to special_events@brown.edu.
Invitation and more details coming soon.
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Association of Class Leaders Annual Board Meeting – Saturday, April 13, 2024
The ACL will hold our Annual Meeting in Providence on April 13, 2024. All class leaders are invited to attend, either in-person or virtually.
The Annual Meeting provides the ACL Board the opportunity to talk about the work that has been accomplished over the past year, introduce new board members, say goodbye to retiring board members, and recognize our Class of the Year and Nan Tracy award recipients. We hope to see you there! Keep an eye out for more details this spring.
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Reunion Weekend – May 24-26, 2024
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If your graduation year ends in a 4 or a 9, you should be well on your way to engaging your classmates to get them excited to come back to campus in May.
Your class leadership team has received a series of emails explaining the Reunion planning process and sharing resources including:
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Class leader communications and engagement resources
CLASS LEADER VOLUNTEER RESOURCE CENTER
Newly launched, the Class Leader Volunteer Resource Center is where to go to find tools, tips, and creative ideas for engaging your classmates.
ACL TRAINING LIBRARY
Are you a new class leader looking for guidance or an experienced class leader in need of inspiration? The ACL Board has built a digital library of virtual training events for class leaders. We have covered everything from Class Leadership Basics to DE&I As a Tool for Class Engagement to Tools and Best Practices for Class Leaders. Check out the recordings of expert class leaders on the Brown Alumni and Friends ACL page.
ACL INCLUSIVE CALENDAR
Developed by the ACL’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Committee, this calendar provides information about cultural, religious, and secular holidays and events across diverse groups. We hope this information will be a useful resource for class leaders as they plan activities and events throughout the year to engage their classmates. View detailed instructions for how to subscribe to the Inclusive Calendar (PDF).
ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Did you miss the October issue of the alumni newsletter? Take a look at news from across Brown’s alumni communities.
CLASS LEADER ENGAGEMENT
Looking for Brown-related news to share in your class newsletter or social media? Brown Alumni & Friends is an excellent resource! There are alumni stories, news items about what’s happening on campus, and a host of resources for Brunonians (career resources, free access to Rosetta Stone, and more).
BROWN ALUMNI MAGAZINE CLASS NEWS SUBMISSIONS
Did you know that you can submit your news directly to The Classes section of the BAM? Just follow the link to send a class note and give your classmates an update on your life! Submission deadlines for the print editions are:
- March 1, 2024 for the June/July/August 2024 edition
- May 10, 2024 for the September/October 2024 edition
- July 19, 2024 for the November/December 2024 edition
- September 27, 2024 for the January/February/March 2025 edition
BROWN-RELATED SOCIAL CHANNELS
Are you looking for content to share on your Instagram and Facebook pages? Be sure to check out Brown-related accounts and search for other content on each platform. Here are a few Instagram accounts to get you started:
BROWN TRAVELERS PROGRAM
The Brown Travelers Program offers alumni the opportunity to connect with fellow Brunonians while experiencing and learning about incredible destinations around the world. You will be accompanied on these amazing journeys by Brown faculty, who offer up their unique insight and knowledge, providing travelers with a more complete understanding of context and place. Learn more about all of the Brown Travelers upcoming trips on the Alumni & Friends website.
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About the ACL
If you’re one of Brown’s 600+ elected or appointed class leaders, you’re automatically a member of the Association of Class Leaders (ACL). The ACL Board of Advisors is here to help by recruiting, engaging, training, and supporting class volunteers, so feel free to reach out to classleaders@brown.edu with questions or suggestions.
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Connect with other class leaders on:
Facebook and Instagram
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