President Ruth Simmons presented an update on the funding priorities of the capital campaign and sought feedback at Wednesday's Undergraduate Council of Students meeting.
Simmons presented the campaign's "table of needs," a document that "details activities and facilities for which we need to raise money over the course of the campaign," she said. It is shown to potential donors to pinpoint areas where their donations can be best utilized.
The list of needs is divided into two categories. Category 1 needs are those that require immediate attention and are "so urgent we will do them whether or not we raise the money to do them," Simmons said. Category 2 needs "we certainly would love to do, but if we don't find funding for, we won't support," she said.
Needs fall in the areas of endowment, facilities and current use, which is money that can be accessed now - endowments are not free for use "until you begin to earn income off the money," Simmons said.
The broad categories of undergraduate financial aid, research and instruction, enhancing excellence through diversity and building a shared sense of community covered the many needs described in the plan.
Many of the requested financial aid increases are part of an effort to continue to fund need-blind admission. "We want to be able to include ... the financial aid reduction in loans," Simmons said. "The idea is to try to endow as much of the financial aid program as possible."
Faculty expansion, seminar programs and advising fall under the category of research and instruction. The plan calls for a full endowment of the Undergraduate Teaching and Research Assistantship program and an endowment for the first-year seminar program, which was started "without funding, and we now need $30 million to fund it," Simmons said. Advising is also a priority because it has been a "serious issue at Brown for some time," she said.
The University will attempt to enhance excellence through diversity by asking for an endowment for the Target of Opportunity hiring program "to be able to attract faculty in a targeted way, including minority faculty and women ... because there will always be money available for positions," Simmons said.
Building a sense of community is also considered an important goal, and the table of needs covers several approaches to working on this area of the Brown experience. One such approach is "support for a new integrated residential-academic living environment," Simmons said.
Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene said that so far the University is "thinking about a fuller range of services in residence halls."
"Most of our big projects ... require a unique donor with a very substantial gift," Simmons said. Such projects include a fitness and wellness center, renovation of the Sharpe Refectory, a campus center and a large public forum space.
The table of needs helps donors understand the University's needs when deciding where to give their money. "Thus far, the donors we're approaching really are following our lead," Simmons said. "If the donor really cares about the University, most of the time they're going to (fund the things it needs most)," she added.
"Is it possible we will let a person walk away with $35 million if they won't give to what we want? No. But we're going to lean on them very hard," she said.
The current value of the University's needs is $1.3 billion, which is computed by adding up all Category 1 needs. This number will be refined by the Corporation when it receives the document. Donations received beyond what is required to cover Category 1 will be dedicated to Category 2 projects.
UCS members were able to address Simmons with their concerns about the document. Many members said a campus center, which is ranked as a Category 2 priority, is more important than a fitness center, ranked Category 1. A campus center "would create that community centralized space, maybe even some community spirit, that I think Brown really needs," said Emily Blatter '07.
Representatives said they consider club sports funding, currently a Category 2 priority, a very important issue, and showed Simmons their initiative to move club sports under the umbrella of the Department of Athletics and Physical Education. The initiative, passed later in the meeting, would additionally create a club sports council to aid and organize teams.
A representative from the American Sign Language program also voiced concerns about the priorities of the table of needs. She said the fact that ASL is not a department, is losing its program status and is being placed in the continuing studies program should warrant funding earmarked for creating a department.
Michael Morgenstern '08 asked Simmons to prioritize some short-term projects for the benefit of students currently on campus.
In other business, David Beckoff '08, a UCS representative who is leading the winter J-term committee, reported on the committee's progress. Its current plan would offer three-week not-for-credit courses beginning as early as next year.
"We will have financial aid to enable students to come back" from winter break early, Beckoff said. "That's why we're prepared to say these not-for-credit courses are acceptable at this point."
The next step is determining the classes to be offered. "We have to see what professors are actually interested in teaching," Beckoff said.
The pledge class from Alpha Epsilon Pi made a surprise appearance at the meeting, charming members with their rendition of Mandy Moore's hit "Candy."
