Following a sweeping White House directive pausing nearly all federal aid, including research grants provided to Brown, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and Provost Francis Doyle reaffirmed the University’s commitment to free inquiry and research on Tuesday. They also announced a working group, led by Doyle, tasked with assessing “the orders coming out of Washington, D.C.”
They stated Brown will remain steadfast in fulfilling “our purpose of teaching and conducting research” and vowed to “communicate the implications of the orders for affected communities and operations at Brown” in a letter to the University community.
The two senior Brown administrators affirmed Brown’s core mission of “advancing knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry,” adding the University believes faculty and students should be able to explore subjects of their choice “without restriction.”
Since taking office last week, President Trump’s White House has attempted to freeze federal grants and loans — many of which Brown is a recipient of — from a number of government agencies. Trump has also signed executive orders rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. A federal judge has since temporarily blocked the freeze until Monday. It is unclear how this ruling impacts the University’s communication.
“We always follow the law,” Paxson and Doyle wrote. “But we are also prepared to exercise our legal right to advocate against laws, regulations or other actions that compromise Brown's mission.”
Paxson and Doyle advised researchers to heed forthcoming guidance from the Division of Research, slated to be distributed “later today with instructions for principal investigators for research who are receiving notices from the federal government related to their grants.”
As the landscape of federal funding remains uncertain, the letter said “we are communicating directly with affected communities as information becomes available.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Claire Song is a university news and science & research editor for The Herald. She is a sophomore from California studying Applied Math-Biology. She likes to drink boba in her free time.
