Select alums, campaign donors and student leaders attended invitation-only dinners Friday and Saturday that provided more intimate opportunities to mark the launch of the Campaign for Academic Enrichment. The well-attended events featured appearances by President Ruth Simmons, various award winners and members of the campaign leadership, all of whom contributed to an overtly celebratory and occasionally over-the-top atmosphere that praised simultaneously the University's past accomplishments and its potential future growth.
The weekend's festivities began Friday night with a keynote address and opening remarks from Simmons, followed by a conference welcome delivered by Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar '87 '90 A.M., president of the Brown Alumni Association.
An opening reception, held at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, saw conference-goers, primarily campaign donors, sipping cocktails and mingling for about 45 minutes outside the dining area. Administrators such as David Greene, vice president for campus life and student services, worked the crowd, taking time to introduce themselves to both alums and student leaders. The Brown Derbies roamed the reception area performing songs for small clusters of attendees, who also had the opportunity to pose with the Brown Bear mascot.
The crowd, which hovered around 400, moved into the dining area at around 7:30 p.m. for the beginning of the Alumni Recognition Gala Dinner and Ceremony. They were met with a three-course meal that featured filet, salmon, salad and an array of tarts and crème brûlée for dessert. Though the evening included a packed agenda of speakers and award recipients - including winners of the Brown Bear, John Hope, Spotlight and Young Alumni Service Awards - the convivial atmosphere and large size of the banquet led most attendants to ignore the official proceedings in favor of conversations at their own tables.
Caterers swept the floor, generously filling up wine glasses and paying near-obsessive attention to the diners. At this reporter's table, which was made up solely of representatives from the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board, all 10 guests had between two to four drinks in front of them at any given time.
In between courses, conference-goers got up from their seats to network among tables. Student leaders posed for photos with administrators and took group shots, as did members of the various classes. A particularly charming moment came when UFB representatives Seth Meyer '06 and Phil Wood '07 took time out to endear themselves to four unassuming female members of the Class of 1943 and proceeded to make several toasts in their honor.
Eventually, the tables reconvened for some closing speeches that did a better job of retaining everyone's attention.
Children's author Lois Lowry '58, a two-time Newbery Medal recipient for her books "The Giver" and "Number the Stars," stole the evening with some touching remarks that addressed both her experiences as a Brown student and some of the more rewarding aspects of her literary career.
Lowry left the University after her sophomore year to get married and start a family, though she said she still feels a strong connection to the Brown community and takes pride in Brown's progress as an institution. But the core of Lowry's speech centered on the importance of reaching out to youth. The author said she is gratified that her books make children excited about reading and encourage them to think critically about the world in which they live. She added that alums can similarly enrich younger generations through their contributions to the University.
Saturday night's kickoff gala continued the celebratory atmosphere that pervaded the entire weekend. Various donors, key figures of the campaign leadership, faculty members and students convened in the OMAC for another meal and round of speeches, creating a less restrained and more flamboyant atmosphere than was evident on Friday.
The Brown Bear mascot set the tone for the evening, greeting arriving guests in a T-shirt that read "Not Timid" and boxer shorts featuring red and gold dollar signs, an ensemble that prompted at least one student leader to comment, "That's not even remotely subtle."
Chancellor Stephen Robert '62 P'91opened the ceremony with a speech that praised Simmons' leadership leading up to Saturday's launch. Various campaign organizers also took turns at the microphone, pausing to reflect on the importance of the campaign in propelling the University's future advancement.
Prior to the dinner, guests viewed video segments during which current students and professors told stories of their own experiences at Brown, praising the New Curriculum and the University's mission of academic freedom and self-discovery.
Perhaps the weekend's most surreal moment arrived when, following dessert, each guest was handed a miniature wand that lit up and made whirring noises at the push of a button. Simmons led the crowd, holding her wand in the air and expressing her approval of the gadget, saying, "I like to make things happen." She "magically" made a dove appear out of a balloon, then led the crowd in making the screen behind her go opaque and reveal the Brown University Chorus.
UCS Vice President Sarah Saxton-Frump '07 left midway through the ceremony at the OMAC to announce the campaign's official goal and fundraising figures to those attending Live on Lincoln. She said the student-oriented event, like most of the weekend's program, was "very well-attended" and successfully incorporated many members of the Brown community.
"The energy was incredible," Saxton-Frump said.
