[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3493]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            BROWN UNIVERSITY

  Mr. REED. Madam President, today I want to recognize an extraordinary 
university, deeply rooted in the history of Rhode Island, Brown 
University. Brown is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Brown 
University's founding in 1764 makes it the seventh oldest institution 
of higher education in the United States, predating even the American 
Revolution. The university originally began as a small school located 
in Warren, RI, known as the College of Rhode Island. As Brown grew, it 
moved to College Hill in Providence in 1770, where it has thrived to 
this day and was renamed a few years later to acknowledge a $5,000 gift 
from Nicholas Brown, a member of the class of 1786.
  Since its founding, Brown University has played an important role in 
Rhode Island and our Nation's history. Indeed, it was the first Ivy 
League institution to admit students of all religions. Brown remains 
committed to diversity and access. Over 20 years ago, Brown established 
the Leadership Alliance, a national academic consortium of leading 
research universities and minority-serving institutions with the 
mission to develop underrepresented students into outstanding leaders 
and role models in academia, business, and the public sector. Brown 
stands out for its willingness to openly delve into its past while 
staying focused on the future, and it has made a vital commitment to 
college access through its need-blind admissions policy, ensuring that 
no student admitted to Brown will be turned away for financial reasons.
  Brown established a truly student-driven curriculum--the Brown 
Curriculum--in 1970 to allow students to personalize their course of 
study. In an effort to continue its edge in innovation, Brown launched 
its Plan for Academic Enrichment in 2002 to help transform the fields 
of research, education, and public leadership. Fiscal year 2013 saw the 
University conduct more than $170 million in sponsored research, 
helping the Rhode Island economy and making new discoveries that can 
improve lives.
  The commitment of Brown's alumni to public service is also 
particularly noteworthy and admirable. According to a 2013 article by 
Washington Monthly, Brown ranks fifth among national universities and 
first in the Ivy League for the number of alumni working in public 
service. Some of the Brown alumni currently playing important roles in 
the public sphere include Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, U.S. 
Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, and World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong 
Kim. Through this commitment to service, members of the Brown community 
continue to find ways to improve the quality of life for people across 
Rhode Island, the Nation, and the world.
  I am proud of the talented men and women who have contributed to the 
success of Brown University over these past 250 years. I congratulate 
Christina Paxson, Brown's 19th president, the students, the Brown 
Corporation, and the entire Brown community on this significant 
milestone.

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