Providence Mayor David Cicilline '83, District 1 U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and family members of the late Sidney Frank '42 flocked to College Hill Friday to mark the dedication of the Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences.
Susan Hockfield, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, delivered the keynote address for the ceremony, which signified the end of a 10-year, $95-million capital project that overcame numerous economic and legal complications.
The 169,000-square foot, five-story structure is the most expensive capital project in Brown's history. It will be home to the Department of Neuroscience and the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry. Frank Hall will house 39 faculty members in 30 labs and features 10 conference rooms and offices for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The building is named for Sidney Frank, a liquor magnate and major Brown donor. Frank attended Brown for one year before financial constraints forced him to leave, though he later donated more than $120 million toward University initiatives ranging from financial aid for underprivileged students to capital projects.
Frank's son, Matthew, delivered an emotional tribute to his father during Friday's ceremony.
"My father believed in bold strokes and in Brown, so this building is a wonderful legacy for him," Frank said.
"Nothing meant more to my dad than his connection to this school," said Cathy Halstead, daughter of Sidney Frank and a member of the Brown Corporation. "The ability to change the lives of so many students at Brown was the most meaningful achievement of his life."
Also on Friday, Halstead announced that the Sidney E. Frank Foundation will donate $3 million for Sidney E. Frank fellowships that will provide funding for graduate students studying life sciences.
The new building is seen as a much-needed upgrade for the University's science facilities and laboratory equipment, a point that was reiterated by several speakers Friday.
"A thriving biomedical enterprise is a truly vital component of a truly great university," said Eli Adashi, dean of medicine and biological sciences. "The Sidney E. Frank Hall ... (is) dedicated to enhancing of the quality of life for all."
The proximity of Frank Hall to Brown's BioMedical Center will "join the bench and the bedside" by connecting the theoretical and experimental aspects of biology and neuroscience with clinical applications encouraging interdisciplinary work and cooperation, Adashi said.
The building will house state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, including a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging machine and almost all of the University's biomedical imaging technologies. These new facilities are important for conducting cutting-edge research and attracting the best and brightest faculty to Brown, said Professor of Neuroscience John Donoghue in a video made for the dedication.
Hockfield's keynote address emphasized the importance of the type of work that will go on in Frank Hall.
"America needs us and the world needs us, and the work that will go on in the Sidney E. Frank Hall will show us why," Hockfield said. "The work will advance our understanding of fundamental processes of life and thought."
Hockfield, an accomplished neuroscientist, also received an honorary degree from Brown to recognize "her commitment to the interaction of humanities, social sciences and sciences ... and for pioneering a pathway for women in science while leading with confidence and conviction at MIT," according to President Ruth Simmons, who introduced Hockfield.
Hockfield spoke on the history of American research universities and their roles as leaders in innovation. Such universities succeed because of their commitment to advancing research initiatives, she said, adding that it is only through continued commitment to this ideal that America can compete with growing worldwaide competition.
"The work in Frank Hall shows us how far we have come ... and points the way to the future for all of us," Hockfield said. "An institution that can point us to the future is an invaluable resource, and in this respect Brown can stand to the very best in the American research community."
Hockfield said decreased government funding, along with public cynicism regarding higher education and inadequate pre-college education, threaten America's status as a leader in the sciences. Brown's commitment to life science is a model for other institutions, she added.
Since 2002, the University has hired 19 new professors in the life sciences and plans to hire 20 more. Brown has also forged several new partnerships and research efforts in biology and public health, according to an Oct. 6 University press release announcing Frank Hall's dedication.
