Distributed June 4, 2002
For Immediate Release

News Service Contact: Mark Nickel



Brown Corporation elects new trustees, hears report on campus safety

The Corporation of Brown University, Brown’s governing body, elected two new trustees at its Commencement Weekend meeting May 25, 2002. The Corporation also heard a presentation on campus safety by William Bratton and approved a $460.7-million budget for fiscal year 2003.


At its Commencement Weekend meeting Saturday, May 25, 2002, the Corporation of Brown University elected two term trustees – Mark Blumenkranz, M.D., and Thomas Tisch, both graduates of the University. Blumenkranz and Tisch will be sworn in at the next regular meeting of the Corporation in October and will serve six-year terms, from 2002 to 2008.

The Corporation, governing body of Brown University, is composed of a 12-member Board of Fellows and a 42-member Board of Trustees, all elected by the Corporation. It is responsible for establishing broad policies for the operation of the University, for selecting a president to carry out those policies, for appointing administrative officers and faculty members, and for managing the funds and holding the real estate of the University.

Blumenkranz has received three degrees from Brown (AB, biology, 1972; M.D., 1975; M.M.S, 1976). A noted vitreoretinal surgeon, he served as co-director of the Retinal Service at Stanford University from 1992 until 1997, when he became chairman of Stanford’s Department of Ophthalmology. He has been chief of ophthalmology at Stanford Health Services since 1996. Blumenkranz is an associate examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology and a member of the Retina, Vitreous, Macula, and Gonin societies. He has served on the editorial boards of Retina, Graefe’s Archives for Ophthalmology and Ophthalmology.

Tisch received an A.B. in religious studies from Brown in 1976 and earned his law degree from New York University in 1979. He is managing partner of Four Partners, a private investment firm. Tisch serves on the board of the Municipal Assistance Corporation and the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy Research. He is also a trustee of the New York University Medical Center, the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute, and KIPP Academy.

Among other actions taken during the weekend, the Corporation:

  • Established the The Adele Kellenberg Seaver ’49 Professorship in Creative Writing, a gift of Adele Kellenberg Seaver ’49.
  • Approved a number of faculty appointments, including five advancements to tenure: John Bodel, professor of classics; Qian Chen, professor of medical science; Michael L. Satlow, associate professor of religious studies and Judaic studies; Rebecca D. Burwell, associate professor of psychology; and Xinsheng Sean Ling, associate professor of physics.
  • Approved the appointment of four senior members of the faculty to emeritus status: Martin P. Feldman, M.D., clinical instructor emeritus of surgery; Generoso G. Gascon, M.D., professor emeritus of clinical neurosciences (neurology) and pediatrics; Jerome B. Grieder, professor emeritus of history and East Asian studies; and Anthony Houghton, professor emeritus of physics.
  • Approved two senior administration interim appointments: Richard W. Besdine, M.D., interim dean of medicine and biological sciences, and Ellen O’Connor, interim executive vice president for finance and administration, both effective July 1, 2002.
  • Approved the President’s recommendation that the University’s non-discrimination policies be amended to include “gender identity” and “gender expression” as required by state law. The President and appropriate senior officers have been authorized to establish guidelines as necessary to implement the policies.
  • Approved the appointment of Provost Robert J. Zimmer, professor of mathematics, as the Ford Foundation Professor.
  • Approved a new conflict of interest policy which had been drafted by members of the faculty and administration and previously approved by the Advisory and Executive Committee.
  • Approved the recommendations of the Budget and Finance Committee that a $460.7-million total operating budget for fiscal year 2003 be approved and that the $50 student commitment deposit, first approved by the Corporation Oct. 17, 1953, be rescinded and all of the student commitment deposit monies currently on balance from enrolled students be refunded.
  • Approved resolutions of appreciation for three members of the senior administration who will be completing their administrative terms June 30, 2002: Donald J. Reaves, Donald J. Marsh, M.D., and William S. Simmons.
  • Accepted with regret the resignations of four members of the Board of Trustees whose terms end June 30, 2002: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Stanley J. Bernstein, Thomas J. Berry and Ramon C. Cortines.

In addition, the Corporation heard a presentation on campus safety by members of The Bratton Group, led by former New York Police Commissioner William Bratton. Bratton reviewed and answered questions on the report recently completed by his group regarding campus safety issues and the Department of Police and Security Services. The report, which has been widely circulated on campus, includes a number of specific recommendations which are currently being assessed by the senior administration for implementation. President Simmons informed the Corporation that the administration will not decide on any of the report’s recommendations concerning arming campus police officers until a full discussion of that issue takes place in the next academic year.

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