The Brown University Community Council — a forum for Brown community members to discuss University-related issues — held a public meeting on Thursday to discuss progress on the University’s initiative to define its core values, as well as administrative priorities in the face of recent federal actions.
At the meeting, James Kellner, a professor and chair of the ad hoc committee charged with Institutional Values and Voice, announced plans to share an official draft statement of University values in late March.
The committee was announced in December 2024 after the University received criticism for lacking a clearly defined set of institutional values during its divestment proceedings, The Herald previously reported. Its membership includes six tenured faculty members, three students and two administrators.
Kellner said that the draft statement of University values will be heavily influenced by Brown’s mission statement, which expresses the University’s commitment to advancing knowledge through free inquiry.
“This mission statement tells us what we need to know,” he said. “It doesn’t tell us what the core values are, but the core values are the things that will allow the mission statement to be fulfilled.”
Kellner said the values statement will follow the historical traditions of the University and establish “responsibilities for the University in its institutional sense and for its members.”
“It needs to be clear what is expected of all of us,” he said.
During the meeting, attendees raised concerns about how the values would align with Brown’s history.
Senior Vice President for Communications Cass Cliatt acknowledged the concerns, saying that “we have found moments in history when we did not live up to our ideals ... but it doesn’t mean that the ideal isn’t there.”
According to Kellner, the committee will be holding town halls with students, faculty, staff and alumni in April before presenting their drafted values for a vote at the faculty meeting in May.
At Thursday’s meeting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 also discussed Brown’s priorities in the face of recent threats to research funding and DEI initiatives under the Trump administration. Her remarks centered around “defending Brown.”
Paxson said that the University is committed to taking action on both an internal and external level.
Internally, Brown’s goal is to be “nimble and responsive,” efficiently tracking developments and responding at the right time, Paxson said. “We’re using every opportunity we can to make sure our community understands what’s going on.”
She also discussed Brown’s external response, including the University’s lobbying efforts, government relations team and presence in Washington, D.C.
“I think we do have to advocate strongly to sustain our mission,” Paxson said. “And we’ve said very openly that we will exercise our legal rights as appropriate.”
Paxson said administrators were “worried about access” to a Brown education.
Expressing concern about federal financial aid and DEI, Paxson said that while the administration advocates “for Brown all the time,” they are now doing so in a “more targeted way.”
“We follow the existing law, but we have continued to confirm and emphasize our commitment to diversity and inclusion and its central role in advancing our academic mission,” she said. “My advice now is just keep going.”
Roma Shah is a senior staff writer covering University Hall and higher education. She's a freshman from Morgan Hill, CA and studies Neuroscience. In her free time, she can be found doing puzzles, hiking or curled up with a book.
