Announcement
Dear Brown Community,
As President Christina Paxson shared in a message to the community this morning, she informed the Corporation of Brown University today of her decision to step down as Brown’s president at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
Chris Paxson has been an inspiring, visionary, purpose-driven and amazingly steadfast and stalwart leader for Brown, and of course I asked her if she would stay longer. The Corporation in May 2025 had unanimously approved the extension of President Paxson’s term to June 30, 2028, but she let us know she feels that Brown will soon be ready to begin a new strategic planning process. It is her strong belief — and the Corporation and I agreed — that it is the right time to find a new president who will lead this multi-year effort for Brown and be in place to implement their vision for the next generation.
And so, I am announcing that the Corporation will launch a national search for its 20th president to succeed President Paxson. We are committed to involving members of the Brown community to help us find the best person for Brown’s next chapter, while at the same time we work with President Paxson to establish priorities for her final academic year. As she announced in her message to the Brown community, President Paxson is committed to continuing to lead with strength and vigor through the end of next June, and to working with other University leaders to prepare for her transition.
Brown will be fortunate to find another leader with the dedication and commitment of President Paxson, who always put the needs of this community and Brown’s mission of service first. Brown has been made stronger and better by Chris Paxson’s vision of the transformative change that the University and its students, faculty and staff can make in this country and in the world.
As I think of Chris’ incredible success, what has made her so unique as a president is that she knows what academic excellence is and has always been able to drive that, but she also knows what operational excellence is. To me, that is what has made her so special. That ability to see the mission through the dual lens of the people who fulfill that mission and the necessary operations is what has enabled us to grow academically, while also achieving major growth in the physical campus and growth in the endowment.
And a central hallmark of this work has been her focus on collaboration, whether with faculty, students or the City of Providence. Her “collaborative first” methodology across all tough issues helped sustain our community during a time of major change and volatility for higher education and for Brown. Chris Paxson helped the University evolve and adapt in the many ways that the institution fulfills its core mission of education and research, while also upholding strong principles. And that sums up her presidency.
I spoke to Chris’ colleagues, and we put together a list of her accomplishments. Those are appended after my letter. When you look at it, you’ll see that under Chris’ tireless leadership, Brown has made unprecedented strides in its academic excellence, its operational excellence and its facilities to support the academic mission, and we did it collaborating together as a community.
Working across academic areas, Brown raised funds for almost 150 endowed professorships to recruit and retain world-class teachers and scholars in the humanities and life, physical and social sciences departments. At the same time, the University expanded access to a Brown education through major investments in access and affordability. This included eliminating loans packaged in financial aid awards so students may graduate without debt, eliminating tuition for families making $125,000 or less, and extending need-blind admissions to international students.
In partnership with faculty, Brown has built its portfolio of high-impact research, with about $249 million in sponsored research spending annually. Brown has invested more than $2 billion in the physical campus during Chris’ presidency, including approximately $700 million invested in the redevelopment of the Jewelry District as part of Brown’s close partnership with the City of Providence and the state of Rhode Island. And Brown’s endowment — reported at $8 billion in market value in FY25 — is now providing record funding to support Brown’s academic mission, projected at $368.8 million for the budget this fiscal year.
We see these investments reflected in new and renovated academic spaces, laboratories, student housing, and athletic facilities, and we also see them in the investment in the people of Brown. In addition to the focus on access and affordability, Chris also launched the development of programs to strengthen preparation for students in their lives after Brown, including major initiatives for entrepreneurship and career exploration. She developed and stewarded a range of programs to enrich the campus experience. And through her commitment to shared governance, she encouraged a process led by the faculty to articulate Brown’s values and establish how Brown would use its public voice to advocate for issues directly related to its mission of education and research.
Beyond campus, Chris established a priority of elevating Brown’s impact locally, greatly expanding the University’s commitments to service and engagement with neighboring communities. She partnered with local health systems to build a stronger path from education and research in medicine and public health on one end, to medical treatments, population health interventions and patient care in hospitals on the other. Chris also built public-private partnerships that have spurred economic development in the City of Providence, including tremendous investment in the revitalization of the Jewelry District, and she drove a major overhaul of Brown’s approach to community engagement and the way Brown works with organizations and businesses to support community needs.
Much of this was accomplished through a roadmap Chris launched with the Building on Distinction strategic plan, which was developed in collaboration with faculty, students and staff. She also worked with our faculty, deans and other administrators in leading the University through the most ambitious and successful fundraising campaign in Brown history to help fund many of the plan’s priorities. Under her leadership and the leadership of her team, more than 76,800 donors gave more than $4.4 billion to BrownTogether: The Campaign for Building on Distinction.
It’s important to note that, amid these accomplishments, Chris has steered the University through very challenging times, including a pandemic, dramatic policy changes for higher education, and a tragic shooting. She has done so with that balance of commitment to academic excellence, operational excellence and a collaborative philosophy I spoke of before.
I was on Brown’s Board of Trustees when Chris Paxson was named president. And as I think about her tenure, the strength of her leadership was brought home to me the past couple of years standing next to her during the Commencement procession. I have seen the impact of her legacy at graduation as I watch the steady stream of students, faculty, staff and alumni all come and thank her for the great job she has done for our university.
The Corporation and I feel honored and privileged that Brown has had the benefit of Chris Paxson’s leadership and deep dedication to the institution. And I thank her too.
I expect we will continue to see great things from Chris’ leadership in the year ahead. As she prepares for her final academic year, I hope our community will join me in expressing appreciation to President Paxson for all she has done for Brown.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Moynihan
Chancellor