Four previously inactive and nine newly formed Brown Clubs sprang to life, ushering in an era of remarkable growth, according to Todd Andrews '83, vice president for alumni relations. The clubs, which unite Brown alums with other alums in their region, are established throughout the United States and other parts of the world. They have recently been the focus of increased attention and funding from Alumni Relations.
"We at the Office of Alumni Relations realize that regional efforts to connect with Brown alumni are important, both for the alumni themselves and for the University," Andrews said.
University officials and faculty, such as James Campbell, associate professor of history and chair of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, and President Ruth Simmons, have recently been traveling the globe spreading Brown's name as part of an initiative to expand Brown's presence domestically and internationally. These efforts that have in part led to the formation of Brown Clubs in Berlin, Las Vegas and even Iowa City.
"President Simmons is a very important reason for the recent boom in Brown Club activity," Andrews said. "When Ruth Simmons goes to a community and talks about what's going on at Brown to graduates whom she has invited to meet with her, interest in clubs surges."
Kathleen Skestos '88 of Columbus, Ohio, is one Brown alum who has seen the fruits of these increased efforts, but she said she remembers a time when getting involved in a Brown Club wasn't so easy.
"I wanted to get a club going right when I graduated, but the Alumni Relations office said there weren't enough alumni in Columbus to form a club," she said. "The attitude of the Alumni Relations office has changed significantly."
Skestos bided her time by interviewing admission applicants in the Columbus area before she was approached early last year by Alumni Relations and was asked to start a club in Columbus. Since then, the Brown Club of Columbus has been popular among alums in the area.
"We had our kickoff party in June of 2006 and had seven decades of alumni represented there," Skestos said. "It's so popular because people have been waiting all this time and now have a chance to join a club."
The formation of new clubs is not motivated only by University efforts. Lawrence Kerson '64 P'10 is president of the Brown Club of Philadelphia, which has been around for over three decades. But it has only recently become highly active, mainly due to a surge of interest from younger alumni.
"In the '70s and '80s our club had varying degrees of activity, but recent grads have shown a lot of interest," Kerson said. "Most of the interest and energy seems to be coming from the younger alumni."
Once the Brown Club of Philadelphia started to become more active, it was able to take advantage of a funding increase from Alumni Relations and has hosted a number of events, including happy hours, family events such as ice skating and an upcoming talk with Campbell about the slavery and justice committee. The club even has an endowed scholarship for Brown students from the Philadelphia area.
"(Andrews) doubled the amount of per capita funding, which we use toward our events and also as a sort of investment into activities that could grow," Kerson said. The funding increased to $1 per alum from 50 cents per alum, Andrews said.
Brown students are also playing a large part in expanding interest in clubs. A cappella groups such as the Brown Derbies and the Jabberwocks have been making appearances at clubs on both coasts, including the Brown Club of Southern California.
"We had a happy hour with the Brown Derbies just last Thursday (Jan. 18)," said Elena Gerli '90, who serves as co-president of the Southern California club. "There seems to be a lot more interest across the board in having these clubs supported."
Gerli said she credits Simmons with the recent revival of the Brown Club program.
"Many alums felt disconnected from the mothership," Gerli said. "But since Ruth came to the University, there's a much stronger 'Go Brown!' sentiment toward the school."
Gerli added that this strong attitude also extends inward, and members see the club as a very important part of their lives as alums.
"What I see in the club that is the most inspiring to me is community. Southern California is such a widespread area that it's easy to feel isolated, but the Brown Club gives people that sense of community that they might be missing," she said. "We have a lot of people who come out and thank us."
Kerson agreed, pointing out that the club is a great way for alums to reconnect with their college experiences.
"There is an enormous amount of customer satisfaction at Brown, but people might leave thinking, 'What's next?'" he said. "Unfortunately, the world is not as fun as Brown, so it's nice to have a place to experience some of what was such a great time in people's lives."
Neil Steinberg '75, vice president for development and director of the Campaign for Academic Enrichment, sees all of the positive reaction from club presidents and members as an indication of the fundraising campaign's success.
"If you take a look at the goals of the campaign, they fit perfectly with the idea of what a Brown Club is," he said, citing fundraising and increased awareness of Brown's activity as examples. "All of the goals are enhanced by a vibrant and active effort from Brown Clubs."
Steinberg added that interest in clubs is as high as it has ever been and the clubs are only becoming more popular.
"We just came back from events in L.A., San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas and had record crowds at each event," he said.
Both Steinberg and Andrews said they feel the key to the continued success of the Brown Club program lies in the younger generation.
"I've met with the leadership of 24 clubs around the world, and what I'm seeing is a greater commitment by younger alumni to get the clubs up and running and holding great events," Andrews said. "This interest from young alumni is critical to the future success of the Brown Clubs program."
