Today’s paper marks the first print issue of The Brown Daily Herald in the 2025 calendar year — our first as the 135th Editorial Board.
Filled with excitement — and some nervousness, we’ll admit — 135 has returned to a vibrant, bustling office, now fit with a cozy community corner and flashy neon sign.
With staff members new and old filing into 88 Benevolent St. and questions about winter breaks floating across conference tables, we are invigorated by the endless possibilities that come with the new year and cannot wait to see what our tenure will bring to The Herald. We are ready to spend countless hours supporting our wonderfully diligent and committed staff members and hope that our coverage will better serve you, our ever-enthusiastic readers.
2025 promises to be a year filled with new developments at Brown. The landscape of higher education is shifting now more than ever. External forces continue to scrutinize the societal value of highly-selective educational institutions. The future of academic freedom is uncertain. The racial composition at Brown is fluctuating as the share of Black and Hispanic students shrink following the fall of race-based affirmative action, promising changes to the student body for years to come. Brown is facing a budget deficit and shifting its focus to research, diverging from its liberal arts roots. Top University officials are departing the University, and President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20's contract is set to end in 2026.
We will be on the ground ready to cover all of this and more, sustaining The Herald’s mission of holding the University accountable and keeping the Brown community informed.
And while our fingers are kept firmly on Brunonia’s pulse, we cannot help but look beyond our campus. At the Rhode Island School of Design, activism around the Israel-Hamas war remains at the center of community conversations, and beyond College Hill, organizations, agencies and elected officials are anxiously awaiting information about how a second Trump term will impact Providence and Rhode Island.
With Ivy Madness at the Pizzitola Sports Center, we can’t wait to see what our Brown athletes bring to the court this March. Like others on campus, we look forward to seeing how student artists take the stage and who will perform at this year’s Spring Weekend.
We are on the edge of our seats, eagerly waiting to see how our dedicated reporters, editors and multimedia staff tackle these topics and bring untold stories to light, while our business teams ensure we have the resources to do this important work. We are so excited to present our stories in new, exciting and unconventional ways, with unique data visualizations, vertical videos and in-depth exploratory pieces courtesy of our data desk, multimedia and enterprise teams.
But most importantly, we hope to better meet our readers where they are, ensuring they have The Herald’s coverage at their fingertips. We are excited to introduce new updates to our newly launched mobile app while expanding accessibility across a variety of our digital products — all aiming to bring The Herald right to its readers. We cannot wait to share further details regarding our planned projects and stories with you all.
We also remain dedicated to fostering inclusivity and attracting a diverse staff representative of the Brown student body. Our goal as a teaching organization is to create a welcoming and informative environment where every student who walks through the doors at 88 Benevolent has the opportunity to develop skills they will use for the rest of their life.
These goals extend beyond the newsroom, as we hope to foster an inclusive and respectful campus dialogue where students are encouraged to share their perspectives and information is spread equitably and accurately.
The Herald’s mission is two-fold: the first is to serve as the paper of record for Brown University, and the second is to train our student staff. While the six of us on 135 take the lead, The Herald relies on its kind, talented and dedicated members to achieve these goals. We cannot be more excited to see how our staff flourishes this coming year.
The pressure of leading a 134-year-old organization is daunting, but it is a responsibility we are honored and grateful to bear. The year ahead promises a variety of surprises and challenges, but we are prepared to face them with grace and the support of our incredible staff.
If there are any stories you think we are missing, do not hesitate to reach out to us at herald@browndailyherald.com. We look forward to crafting coverage that answers your questions and curiosities in an engaging, thoughtful way.
Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s 135th Editorial Board: Tom Li ’26, Ryan Doherty ’26, Owen Dahlkamp ’26, Julianna Chang ’26, Anisha Kumar ’26 and Yael Wellisch ’26.
Clarification: A previous version of the article stated that President Christina Paxson P'19 P'MD'20 planned to leave the University in 2026. Her contract ends in 2026.
