In recent weeks, I have followed news of changes to the John Nicholas Brown Center with a combination of alarm and curiosity. Despite coming across several announcements regarding its renaming and restructuring, I have yet to see a fully satisfactory explanation for these developments. To my dismay, it is clear that the University has not been particularly transparent about its rationale to fundamentally reshape the mission and goals of the John Nicholas Brown Center. It begs the question, “why?” As the old adage goes – why fix something that does not appear to be broken? Given that this fundamental change will impact students, faculty, staff and alums — not to mention the larger Providence community — the University ought to do a better job explaining its thinking. In closing, I commend Professor of American Studies and History Steve Lubar for opining that these unwelcome developments are “sad.”
Toby Berggruen '24.5
