Brown aims to seek approval from faculty and the Corporation in May to convert the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs into a school for international and public affairs, Provost Francis Doyle said at Tuesday’s faculty meeting.
Faculty and Corporation approval may take place at later meetings this semester. If approved, the University plans to launch the new school in summer 2025. The new school would be Brown’s first since 2014, when the School of Professional Studies was established.
The announcement comes a day after the University announced the end of Edward Steinfeld’s term as Watson Institute director on June 30, with Wendy Schiller to serve as interim director beginning July 1.
In 2015, the University set a goal for Watson to become a “top 5 school of its kind in the U.S.” in its Operational Plan for Building Brown’s Excellence. According to Doyle, a feasibility study for the school was conducted during the 2018-2019 academic year.
This fall, two task forces co-chaired by Doyle and Steinfeld addressed faculty comments on the January 2023 proposal to “establish a new School for International and Public Affairs at Brown University,” Doyle said.
Faculty will have the opportunity to comment on the proposal for the new school at a Thursday faculty forum. Then, the Academic Priorities Committee will vote on the proposal, Doyle said, adding that he plans on sharing the motion at the April faculty meeting.
If the Corporation approves the motion this spring, Doyle said that the University would use the next academic year to review funding priorities and organizations under the Watson Institute umbrella. In addition, the University would fundraise for the new school and plan for new hires, including an inaugural dean.
Correction: A previous version of this article did not correctly identify the latest established school at the University, the School of Professional Studies. The Herald regrets this error.
Ryan Doherty is a section editor covering faculty, higher education and science and research. He is a junior concentrating in Chemistry and Economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
Cate Latimer is a senior staff writer covering faculty and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
