Chants of "Ruth, Ruth, Ruth" reverberate as President Simmons takes the stage at large University gatherings. There's little doubt that Brown's 18th president has captured the hearts and minds of much the student body. But standing quietly behind the University's leader is a team unknown to most students - more than a dozen top administrators who closely advise the president and help her keep the University running.
The 17 members of the president's cabinet come from all areas of the University. Some are academic officers, including the provost and deans of the College, Graduate School, Medical School and faculty. Others oversee administrative units, such as finance and administration, Computing and Information Services and Campus Life and Student Services. A few cabinet members work in the Office of the President, including the secretary of the University, the assistant to the president and Brown's chief planner.
These senior administrators balance dual roles. Individually, they manage important administrative units, but collectively they join in counseling Simmons on broad issues facing the University.
Though several administrators were already in their cabinet-level positions when Simmons came to Brown in 2001, many have joined the president in the years since.
Some worked at Brown in other positions before being asked by Simmons to join her senior administrative team. Marisa Quinn, assistant to the president, was director of community and government relations when Simmons tapped her in 2003 to become chief administrative officer. "I was thrilled at the opportunity to really see the University from a more central and broader perspective," Quinn recalled.
Other cabinet members had worked with Simmons elsewhere, including Smith College and Princeton University.
Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services David Greene served as Simmons' assistant at Smith and moved with her to assume the equivalent role at Brown. In 2004, he was promoted to fill the vacancy in the Office of Campus Life and Student Services when that position opened.
Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president, worked closely with Simmons when they were both at Princeton. "I had the job in the Provost's Office (at Princeton) that Ruth ultimately had," Spies said. "We argue about who did it better. I claim that she did it better because I had already made all the mistakes and taught her how to avoid them."
When Simmons came to Brown, she asked Spies to help her oversee her ambitious strategic planning and growth initiatives. "Pretty quickly, she got me excited about the idea," Spies recalled.
Administrators agree that working for Simmons is an invaluable experience. "I've learned an enormous amount from her," Greene said. "One of the privileges of working with her directly is having the daily challenge of trying to get inside of Ruth's head and figure out how her mind works. I always thought that if I could learn how she makes decisions, how she communicates things, there would be a lot to be gained."
Inside the cabinet
Every Monday, the University's top officials gather together to advise the president.
The weekly cabinet meetings, held in the Corporation Room of University Hall, allow the president and her senior administrators to discuss pressing matters facing the University, consider policy issues and shape Brown's future.
"It's a way to discuss and consider big picture strategic issues for the University that might cut across several different offices or areas of the University," said Michael Chapman, vice president for public affairs and University relations.
Quinn called the cabinet "a policy-deliberating body to advise the president on key areas of interest in advancing the University."
The weekly meetings are structured according to a carefully prepared agenda, which often includes updates on strategic projects such as the University's $1.4 billion fund-raising drive, discussion of policies or plans that affect the University's future and perennial issues facing administrators, such as tuition hikes, budget formation and academic policies.
Other agenda items that have come before the cabinet recently include topics as diverse as undergraduate admission efforts, the future of the Medical School, the University's emergency response system, social event management and study abroad policies.
Cabinet meetings also often include discussion of broader issues facing higher education and research universities, such as national trends and policies debated at the federal level, Quinn said.
Most agenda items are introduced by a cabinet member, and group discussion follows. Occasionally, faculty members or other administrators are invited to make a presentation to the cabinet.
The strength of the cabinet, its members said, is its focus on collaboration - in addition to representing their administrative unit of the University, cabinet members bring their outside experience and unique perspective to the table.
Greene said cabinet meetings are less about administrators representing "their own silos" and more about "a group of individuals coming together to solve the University's problems."
Cabinet meetings "give you a much broader perspective on the University than you get from your own administrative turf," said Andries van Dam, vice president for research. Even though few issues directly affect all cabinet-level administrators, the weekly meetings are an important opportunity for Brown's leaders to be exposed to the variety of issues facing the University and to offer a fresh perspective to their colleagues, he said.
"Sometimes it's somebody in the cabinet who says 'Did you ever think about such-and-such?' that really affects how you see issues," Spies said.
United behind the plan
Cabinet members say they are more than just a collection of administrators - they are a cohesive team sharing a united vision for Brown.
"Everyone knows where President Simmons is taking the University and what our jobs are to help implement the vision that she's established," Chapman said.
Greene agreed, adding, "We have differences of opinion regularly on issues - that's healthy and leads to good discussions - but in the end, we all think we're trying to do the same thing for Brown by moving it ahead."
To Quinn, the cohesiveness of the cabinet lies primarily in its support of the Plan for Academic Enrichment, which includes such initiatives as an increase in the size of the faculty, the introduction of need-blind admission and the construction of new buildings around campus.
"We work well together and get things accomplished. We have a clear sense of what we need to do as a team, and the Plan for Academic Enrichment outlines that," Quinn said.
According to Spies, who calls himself the "keeper of the plan," the president has stressed the importance of strategic planning by creating the Plan for Academic Enrichment - which unites all the University's strategic initiatives in one document - instead of adopting multiple plans, each with a separate set of narrow objectives.
"To be as passionate about and focused on planning - which in turn focuses the energy of the institution on the goals of the plan - is unusual. The passion and focus that Ruth brought (to the plan) are unique," Spies said.
In addition to rallying behind the plan, the cohesiveness of the senior administrative team lies in its members' ability to work well together - another testament to Simmons' leadership characteristics, members say.
"It's a rare occurrence that you can assemble a team of people who don't engage in turf battles and don't let their egos get in the way of what we're all really here to do," Chapman said. "It's a sign of President Simmons' leadership and her ability to recruit people that she thinks can work together as a team."
"This group is probably most notable for the lack of intrigue and negative competition within the group. This is a group that is enormously supportive of one another. It's not a group where there is back-fighting going on," Greene said.
"With the right kind of leadership, you're pulling each other up and getting better toward a common purpose," Spies said. "That's really what Ruth has done for Brown and it shows in the plan, the campaign, students, faculty."
Beyond the 9-to-5
Senior administrators say their occupation is more of a lifestyle than a job.
"It is my life. I have Brown and I have my family, and, especially during the academic year, Brown seems to come first in everything," Greene said.
Greene, who oversees student life at Brown, says he often receives phone calls in the middle of the night because of the nature of his position. Even when he is away from campus, Greene said he is still connected thanks to his cell phone and Blackberry. "I feel like I am always on duty," he said.
Many senior administrators, particularly academic deans, are drawn from the ranks of the faculty and temporarily leave their teaching and research duties behind when they assume their administrative post, often for a period of about five years. But van Dam has tried to balance his teaching, research and advising roles as a professor of computer science with his administrative obligations as vice president for research.
"It is really stressful to try to do a good job on both full-time jobs," van Dam said.
Moreover, most administrators don't necessarily leave the University behind when they leave University Hall at the end of the day.
"There's a social life that is part of a university life," said Elizabeth Huidekoper, executive vice president for finance and administration, citing the speakers, receptions, athletic contests and other events that draw administrators, professors and students alike.
"Most of us take advantage of these events and opportunities because it's what makes working and being part of a university like Brown so rewarding," Quinn said. "When we see each other at those kinds of events, we definitely enjoy one another's company."
"The university setting certainly makes it possible for people to interact with one another on a regular basis," Chapman said, "whether it's at a lecture, a conference, an athletic event, or a whole variety of other things that can bring people together in a way that you might not find in the corporate world or in the government."
For Greene, introducing his family to the Brown community has made his roles in the University and his family more fulfilling. He said he often brings his children to Brown athletic events, making the University a part of their identity. For example, Greene's young son often pretends to be a Brown hockey player taking on Yale in the hockey rink.
"It's a thrill for me and it's a thrill for them," he said. "The job is all-consuming, but I like being able to integrate my family into the University community."
Chapman agreed with Greene's sentiment, adding that he often brings his 3-year-old son to athletic events and his wife to receptions and speakers.
Ultimately, administrators agree that the commitment is worthwhile.
"It makes for long days for sure, but at how many other places can you say that you've got to meet Hillary Clinton?" Quinn said.
