Summer Newsletter 2024

ACL Board elections: Volunteer or submit a nomination today!

The Alumni Class Leaders (ACL) Board is recruiting new members. We encourage any current class leader to volunteer or nominate another current class leader for this great opportunity to deepen involvement with Brown and work with a diverse group of class leaders. Members serve a three-year term, with the option to extend for an additional three-year term. Over the last several years, the ACL Board has provided valuable class leader training on various topics including class communications, virtual engagement, class events, and the consideration of diversity, equity, and inclusion in class engagement and leadership.

The ACL Board is an active and collaborative group, with its committees leading the efforts. Volunteer service entails monthly hour-long board calls, two “on-campus” (hybrid) in-depth meetings per year, and virtual committee meetings. (Frequency is dependent on the committee work). Current committees include Communications and Class Leader Training and occasionally additional committees are formed to focus on a specific project.

Go to the Brown Alumni and Friends website to learn more about who we are and our work and if you have any questions, email classleaders@brown.edu.

RECRUITMENT CLOSES ON JUNE 28!

ACL affinity group training recap

By Ryan Grubbs ’10

On Tuesday, May 7 the ACL Board’s Training Committee hosted a webinar, “Shining a Light on Brown Alumni Affinity Groups,” providing class leaders an opportunity to connect with and learn about Brown’s various alumni affinity groups. Moderated by ACL Board member Krista Bradley ’86, the webinar featured representatives from three of Brown’s seven affinity groups:

• Vi Mai ’17, co-president of the Asian / Asian American Alumni Alliance (A4)
• Mara Gottlieb ’93, co-chair of the Brown Alumni Pride Association (BAPA)
• Jonathan Mooney ’00, founding chair of the Disability and Neurodivergence Alumni Collective (DNAC)

ACL President Sarah Gomel ’06 provided a welcome and overview of the ACL and the resources available to class leaders, followed by presentations from the affinity group representatives who provided information about their respective groups:

• A4 aims to build connections between the University and its Asian and Asian American alumni by focusing on its core values of unity, awareness, growth, leadership, support, communication, involvement, development, and representation. The group organizes collaborative programming with other affinity groups (both at Brown and across the Ivies) and welcomes new partnership opportunities. Class leaders can help spread the word about A4 and partner with them on events or other activities. Find out more about A4 and help boost their board recruitment efforts by sharing the A4 website with your class.
• BAPA celebrates and amplifies LGBTQIA+ alumni of all the schools of the University through advocacy, visibility, and community building. The group would like to grow its membership and would be eager to have the ACL and class leaders promote their events. They are also seeking a graphic designer to join the BAPA Steering Committee. Go to the BAPA website to learn more about the organization and their events.
• DNAC, Brown’s newest affinity group, is the result of decades of collective advocacy to have the University expand the definition of diversity to include disability and neurodivergence. The group aims to create opportunities for all members of the Brown community to learn about and engage on issues of disability justice and neurodivergence. Class leaders can help by spreading the word about the group, partnering on events, and accessing resources on best practices for disability and neurodiversity inclusion for events and programming. Visit the DNAC website to learn more about this exciting new group.

The recording for the webinar can be found on the ACL page on Brown Alumni and Friends. For more information about Brown’s affinity groups, including how to sign up for more information or to contact the leadership of each group, visit the Brown alumni affinity groups page on Brown Alumni and Friends. The ACL Board Training Committee will highlight additional affinity groups in the fall. Stay tuned!

For ongoing updates about Brown’s affinity groups and communities, subscribe to the MOSAIC Brown Alumni Affinity & Diversity Newsletter. This biannual e-newsletter was created by the Alumni Belonging Programs team to celebrate diversity across identities, amplify the University’s work to create a more inclusive Brown community, and foster a greater sense of belonging among members of the University’s historically underrepresented groups. To subscribe, email Silvina Hernandez Duran, the Alumni Relations affinity groups staff liaison at Silvina_Hernandez@brown.edu.

Get involved with our affinity groups

Brown’s affinity groups are interested in collaborating with you! Would you be interested in co-sponsoring an event? Promoting their work in your class communications? Promoting affinity group membership? If so, please contact Silvina Hernandez Duran, the Alumni Relations affinity groups staff liaison at Silvina_Hernandez@brown.edu.

Connect your class through a book club

By Aliza Knox ’81

At a mini-reunion (in-person), members of the Class of 1981 discussed finding a way to connect during non-Reunion years. Someone suggested a book club as a way to continue the Brown traditions of learning, discourse, and questioning. It also seemed a great way to stay in touch across locations and time zones (not all at once of the latter, unfortunately). The idea got off the ground quickly and has been a success, with the group meeting approximately quarterly via Zoom, for around 90 minutes. Class members have joined from across the U.S., and even from Asia.

The three books covered so far have all been somehow linked to Brown: “The Virgin Suicides” (Jeffrey Eugenides ’82), “The Pope at War” (Professor David Kertzer), and “What We Inherit” (Jessica Pearce Rotondi ’07).

The next books under consideration are “James” a retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from Jim’s perspective (Percival Everett MA’82) and “After the Ivory Tower Falls” (Will Bunch ’81). Brown has produced many notable writers besides those mentioned above, including Lois Lowry ’58, Rick Moody ’81, Meg Wolitzer ’81, and Edwidge Danticat MFA’93.

You can get other ideas of Brown-related works from:

• the list of people who contributed to the book “The Brown Reader”,
• the Literary Arts alumni site,
• a Goodreads list,
• the Brown Bookstore’s website,
• the literature section of Brown alums on Wikipedia,
• and stay up to date with the latest Brown alumni books with the Brown Alumni Magazine.

For the two most recent book club sessions, Class of 1981 members reached out to the authors to see if they would join the discussion, which they did, making the Zoom calls all the more exciting!

ACL Annual Meeting

ACL President Sarah Gomel welcomes class leaders

Class of 1963 class leaders celebrate their Class of the Year Award

On April 13, the ACL held its annual meeting at the Brown Faculty Club. ACL President Sarah Gomel ’06 welcomed those in attendance both in-person and virtually and was followed by Vice President for Alumni Relations Zack Langway ’09. Zack spoke about the exciting events from the past year in Alumni Relations, including Career and Life Design, Lifelong Learning, and Community and Belonging. Following Zack, we heard from Paul Muite, assistant vice president of development. Paul spoke about the BrownTogether campaign progress, the Brown Annual Fund, the Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC), and professorships raised this year.

Two awards were presented at the meeting. First, the Class of 1963 was awarded the Class of the Year Award. Many members of the Class of 1963 were on hand to receive the award with great enthusiasm. After that, the Nan Tracy ’46 Award was presented to former ACL Board member and longtime class leadership volunteer Barbara Langworthy ’63.

Following the awards presentations, Board members provided an ACL Board update that included events over the past year and committee updates from the Communications, Training, and DEI Committees. The ACL Board said farewell to the departing members and we concluded with a reception and a cornhole tournament.

Reunion Recap by Berit Muh ’64

On a hot sunny Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend, an estimated 3,500 people marched out of the Van Wickle Gates and down College Hill in Brown’s joyful and raucous Commencement Procession. Alumni were led by former ACL President Harry Holt ’84, P’16, currently serving as the president-elect of the Brown Alumni Association (BAA), and Amra Sabic-El-Rayess ’00, BAA president. Following in the Procession were alums celebrating their 80th and 75th Reunions, who were greeted by especially loud cheers. They inspired all with their determination to descend the hill.

Berit Muh ’64, P’94 and Larry Kerson ’64, P’00 celebrate their 60th Reunion at the Procession

See weekend highlights, including photos and video:

• Friday night’s annual Campus Dance had an estimated 13,000 participants who danced the night away under a clear starry sky.
• NASA astronaut Jessica Meir ’99 gave the Baccalaureate address on Saturday. Jessica talked about how her Brown experience prepared her for her career at NASA.
• Friday and Saturday were filled with multicultural, identity-based, Reunion class-based programs, and tours of new buildings, such as the spectacular Lindemann Performing Arts Center.
• Bruno’s Block Party, class luncheons and dinners, Commencement, and class seminars rounded out the weekend activities.

Next up? Classes ending in 0 and 5 will celebrate Reunion 2025: May 23–25, 2025. Stay tuned for updates from the Alumni Relations Reunion Events team over the coming months. Planning will begin in late fall. Questions? Email Reunions@brown.edu.

Class leader communications and engagement resources

CLASS LEADER VOLUNTEER RESOURCE CENTER

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 June 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:

• July 19, 2024 for the November/December 2024 edition
• September 27, 2024 for the January/February/March 2025 edition

MYBROWN

myBrown is your go-to digital destination for all your Brown-related resources and services. You can securely access individualized information, such as giving history and Brown transcripts, and it also includes quick access to popular resources like the alumni directory, Rosetta Stone, and Brown library resources.

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 University
• Brown Alumni & Friends
• Brown University Office of Military Affiliated Students (OMAS)
• Brown Women’s Network
• Brown Alumni Pride Association (BAPA)
• See more alumni accounts

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.

About the ACL Board

The ACL Board 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.