Families get a taste of student life at Brown

From a lecture about the American Revolution to a family bingo night hosted by an improvisational comedy troupe, the packed lineup of 135 events during Brown’s Family Weekend offer something for everyone. 

Families explored Brown through a wide range of programs, from campus walking tours on Friday and Saturday that traced the University’s historical ties to the transatlantic slave trade to a hands-only CPR workshop hosted by the Health and Wellness Center on Friday.

Academic departments across campus opened their doors for open houses and conversations with faculty, while forums and resource sessions gave families a window into student life and academic experiences at Brown.

Music echoed through the weekend as student a cappella groups performed across campus, capped off by a concert by the Brown University Orchestra on Saturday evening in the Lindemann Performing Arts Center.

Between their busy event schedules, visitors found plenty of ways to unwind by meeting therapy animals, joining a morning yoga session on the Quiet Green, donning headphones for a silent disco or watching “Hamilton” under the stars with their friends and loved ones for a two-part movie night on the College Green. 

For Gwyneth Paltrow, a ‘pinch-me’ moment during Family Weekend at her ‘dream school’

Gwyneth Paltrow’s all-time favorite film? “When Harry Met Sally.” Her favorite in which she acted? “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Next film on the horizon? Perhaps a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she hinted playfully, 17 years after she starred in the “Iron Man” movie that propelled the MCU into acclaim.

The Oscar-winner and CEO of goop, whose son is an undergraduate in Brown University’s Class of 2028, shared those insights during a sold-out keynote during Brown’s Family Weekend. But it was the more poignant moments that shined. With her two kids in college, Paltrow talked about transitioning into what she calls her “free bird” stage. 

Brown President Christina H. Paxson asked her how it’s going.

“It’s not going that well…” Paltrow said, prompting laughs. “I am deeply surprised by how seismic it feels to let go of the phase of life where everybody’s under one roof. I have a lot of grief about it. And it’s of course irrational because yes, they come home and you’re with them, and it’s also amazing to see them flourish and be in the world and do their thing. There’s so many positive things about it, but there’s some cellular deep thing that is just very hard to grapple with.” 

Paltrow offered thoughts on everything from acting to entrepreneurship to building a purposeful life. Her biggest regret? She wished she’d learned to be more forthright at a younger age and less focused on protecting people’s feelings. The most challenging moment of her career? When major achievements — like grabbing an Oscar at age 26 — felt “destabilizing and weird.” Advice to her 18-year-old self? Not to be so hard on herself. 

She called Brown her “dream school” and said it was a “pinch-me” moment to speak during Family Weekend. Many of Brown’s hallmarks, she said — including the idea that learning should be a self-directed act — embody the attributes that Paltrow has strived to instill in her own career and family.

“The one requirement I have for myself is that I am always in a state of learning, always experimenting and hopefully raising some eyebrows along the way…” Paltrow said. “I aspire to always be thinking about ways of building things that don’t quite exist, and as I watch my son and all of you do the same at Brown, I’m really reminded that this spirit, this freedom of thought, is the heartbeat of an interesting life.”

President’s welcome to Family Weekend

With a sold-out crowd packed into Brown’s Salomon Center for Teaching to hear from Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow for the Family Weekend keynote on Saturday evening, University President Christina H. Paxson offered an official welcome to family members who’d journeyed to Providence from across the globe.

“I love Family Weekends,” Paxson said. “The campus is always buzzing with energy, especially when the weather is nice. I hope all of you are getting to really see what makes Brown so special.”

She encouraged family members — particularly those of first-year students — to appreciate that just weeks into the semester, students are feeling grounded and comfortable, making lifelong friends, finding their places within the Brown ecosystem, and engaging in courses that are interesting, challenging and intellectually vibrant.

“Our students are quite serious about academics, and the Open Curriculum is a rigorous curriculum,” Paxson said. “That’s a good thing. What we find is that when our students are taking the courses that they want to take and that they’re excited about taking, they’re more engaged in their learning.”

Paging all families: A dose of discovery, community at the medical school

Students at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School enjoyed time with family members for a series of special Family Weekend events, including tours of medical school facilities and a conversation with school leaders.

Attendees included families of current medical students as well as families of undergraduates enrolled in Brown’s distinctive eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education.

A Saturday alumni panel offered reflections from alumni Dr. David V. Diamond and Dr. Vannita Simma-Chiang on their careers in medicine. Later in the day, attendees followed in the footsteps of a typical first-year medical student as part of the “Mini Med School” experience, in which visitors toured the anatomy lab and participated in an interactive clinical skills session. 

Brown spirit shines during Family Weekend matchup against Princeton

Brown Stadium buzzed with cheering fans and the rhythm of the Brown Band as the Bears took on rival Princeton on Saturday, Oct 18. Held during Family Weekend, the football game brought together generations of Brown alumni, students and families who cheered on the Bears under a crisp October sky. 

The scoreboard may not have tilted in Brown’s favor as they fell 40-21 to Princeton on Richard Gouse Field, but the spirit was joyous nonetheless at Brown Stadium, which is celebrating its centennial this fall. 

In addition to time-honored traditions, such as a lively scramble performance by the Brown Band, the members of the women’s softball 2025 Ivy League champion team were honored during halftime. Joined by University President Christina H. Paxson and Vice President for Athletics and Recreation M. Grace Calhoun, the team proudly displayed its championship trophy — the first since 1997. 

Ken Burns at Brown: History, humanity and the pursuit of happiness

For just about anyone who has grown up in the United States, Ken Burns has taught them something. The acclaimed documentarian has spent nearly 50 years serving as the nation’s unofficial historian, providing earnest, emotional insights into people and places that shaped the country — from Gettysburg’s battlefields to Cooperstown’s dugouts to New Orleans’ jazz clubs.

At a sold-out Family Weekend forum on Friday night in the Salomon Center for Teaching , the Brown community got a first look at Burns’ newest project, “The American Revolution.” The event was part of Brown 2026, a campus-wide initiative marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. and the role of universities in advancing open, democratic societies.

Ten years in the making, the forthcoming documentary series examines the ideals and internal contradictions that defined the nation’s founding.

“I’ve had the great privilege of making films about the U.S… but I’ve also realized that I’ve made films about us — the intimacy of us and we and our,” Burns said. “That has been as much the mission of our films as the larger majesties, contradictions, complexities and even controversies of the story of our nation.”

Following the screening — which featured excerpts from the six-part series that will air on PBS this fall —University President Christina H. Paxson joined Burns for a conversation anchored by questions from Brown historians, including Professor Emeritus of History Gordon Wood, who appears in the documentary.

In answering a question from Associate Professor of History Linford Fisher on what lessons the American Revolution holds for today’s political climate, Burns said that the era was “a lot more divided back then than we are right now” and urged the audience to view its history not as distant, but as a mirror for the present. 

“It offers a chance for everybody to connect with this story wherever they’re from… and realize just how much we’re distracted by the emphasis on our differences, rather than what we have in common,” he said. 

That spirit of reflection, Burns said, extends beyond history itself to the unfinished nature of the American experiment.

“It echoes this sense of [America] as an action word,” he said. “We’re in pursuit. We’re always trying to define happiness, and I would argue it’s not material wealth, but lifelong learning. I like this idea of becoming — that we are a process that is not finished. That makes me happy.”

A culture of openness, curiosity and dialogue at Brown

Learning to listen. Having the courage to be wrong. Staying open to ideas that challenge long-held beliefs. These are the kinds of skills Brown University students cultivate in classrooms and across campus — and that’s no accident. 

“It takes a lot of thoughtful planning and intentional and deep reflection,” said Joie Forte, senior associate dean and director of student activities.

At a Family Weekend forum hosted Friday by the Division of Campus Life, Vice President Patricia Poitevien led a discussion with directors from Residential Life, the LGBTQ Center, Student Activities and other offices on how Brown equips students to engage across differences — a longstanding priority with renewed focus this year after the launch of the Discovery Through Dialogue initiative in Spring 2025. 

“Part of being courageous with curiosity is understanding when we make mistakes,” said Scott Helfrich, director of residential education. “It moves us into an uncomfortable space if we’re doing it right. Brown, in each of our offices, provides that scaffolding around students to let them choose how they engage with one another.” 

Panelists discussed programs like the Community Dialogue Project, affinity groups, resource centers and peer workshops that help students feel a strong sense of belonging long after New Student Orientation wraps up. 

Crucially, the same values that guide Brown’s academic culture also shape the University’s social fabric, said Mary Jordan, director of new student programs and community initiatives. 

“These values — bridging disciplines and perspectives — are the perfect social complement to what is required to be successful in the Open Curriculum,” Jordan said. “Those require the same dialogue skills of listening, synthesizing and being willing to make new connections.”