This weekend, the Brown Corporation (which functions as the board of directors for the University) met for one of its tri-annual meetings to discuss policy and the state of Brown, including capital projects, acceptance of gifts, Paxson’s strategic plan, and the decision to divest endowment funds from companies that either use or mine coal.
Brown students are wont to skim these sorts of emails—especially when two lengthy ones enter their inboxes simultaneously. Didn’t catch all the details in President Paxson’s emails? We’re here to break down the news from the Corporation meeting.
Brown will not divest from coal. The issue of divestiture from coal has been promoted by Brown Divest Coal for several semesters and considered by an ad hoc committee of the University’s Corporation, appointed by Paxson, since May. In a separate email to the University community entitled “On the Matter of Divestment from Coal,” Paxson explains that the Corporation made the decision not to divest from coal in its weekend meeting. In this email, Paxson explains that the Corporation approached the topic through “serious, thoughtful and robust discussion” that “covered the full range of perspectives.” Read more about the specific perspectives covered in the email here. Continue Reading