Students, parents and alums gathered under a tent on the Main Green Saturday for the annual Hour with the President event to hear President Ruth Simmons give an update on the University.
There were no spare seats to be found as Simmons made her way to the podium, greeting those sitting in the aisles along the way. Over 600 parents from 41 states and 15 countries were preregistered for the event, according to Simmons. As she listed the countries, those who were present cheered with pride.
Before speaking about campus life and the academic opportunities available to students, Simmons paid tribute to the recent suicides of gay youth and reiterated the University's harassment policy.
Simmons began by mentioning the importance of getting exposure to a variety of opinions, citing an experience from her college days when a white student from South Africa stood up in class and gave her controversial opinion on apartheid.
"I learned something amazing that day," Simmons said.
The diverse opinions students hear at Brown come in part from the professors, Simmons said. She spoke of new additions to the faculty as examples, including Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Stephen Bush, who studies the relationship between religion and political views. Simmons said the University's "student-faculty relationship" is bolstered by Brown's ability to draw professors who are both skilled researchers and dedicated teachers.
Study abroad programs also add to the broad education offered at Brown and prepare students for a "complex multicultural world," she said, announcing the University's partnerships with schools in Mumbai, China and Ghana.
Simmons also reported on the status of the Campaign for Academic Enrichment, which is scheduled to end Dec. 31. She announced that the Campaign has so far raised over $1.57 billion toward initiatives such as the expansion of the faculty and the development of new academic programs and opportunities for students.
Simmons also mentioned renovation and expansion of housing. Universities are recognizing that "it isn't chic to be in subpar living conditions," she said, eliciting chuckles and scattered applause from the audience.
Before going on to the question-and-answer session, Simmons gave a few examples of the projects Brown students have been undertaking for the "common good." She mentioned the Better World By Design conference, held Oct. 1–3, and the disaster relief work students are doing in the wake of the floods in Pakistan.
Simmons went on to take questions from the audience with Provost David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Beppie Huidekoper and Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. These included a question about the recommendations of the report issued by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. Another parent voiced concerns for the fate of humanities disciplines at Brown.
In response to this question, Bergeron mentioned many new programs intended to emphasize the humanities, including an online portfolio system designed to help students keep track of their progress in fulfilling Brown's writing requirement, as well as seminars offered by the Cogut Center for the Humanities.
"Problem-solving does not only happen in the sciences," Bergeron said.
After the speech, Leah Piekarz P'10.5 said Simmons came across as "genuine."
"She believes in what she is talking about, and I agree — there should be an emphasis on teaching people to have a diverse point of view," she said.
