On Feb. 23, the University's highest governing body announced a budget that would increase the net investment in graduate education to $12.4 million from $10.8 million.
The increased funding will allow the Graduate School to expand the first-year class without having to reduce the level of support for each student, said Sheila Bonde, dean of the Graduate School.
Stipends for both current and entering doctoral students on University support will increase from $18,500 to $19,000, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president.
Spies said the change in stipend will not affect master's students. "Most of those programs do not regularly provide fellowship support."
Spies said that Brown's more competitive stipend will be more attractive to prospective doctoral students.
"Obviously, any increase in stipend will benefit the graduate students' well-being, making it much easier to focus on our research and teaching rather than worrying about financial matters," wrote James Doyle GS, president of the Graduate Student Council, in an e-mail.
"Among schools that provide stipends, teaching assistant positions or research assistant positions, Brown is definitely comparable in its offer of financial support," Doyle wrote. "The guarantee of five years of reasonable compensation definitely factored into my decision to attend Brown."
The deliberations of the University Resources Committee are confidential, said Professor of Political Science Terrence Hopmann, a URC member.
"For a variety of reasons, last year there were some cuts in the funding of the Graduate School," Hopmann said, adding that the increase this year is in part compensating for cuts made last year.
But he added that the increase in funding for the Graduate School will help Brown recruit faculty.
"Having a good-sized graduate program is so important to a department's reputation," said Ruth Colwill, associate professor of psychology and chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, which addresses faculty concerns.
Colwill said the University hired more faculty in accordance with the Plan for Academic Enrichment, a comprehensive statement of Brown's goals. But the size of the Graduate School did not keep pace with the faculty's growth, she said.
"Part of the work of the faculty - research - requires graduate students," Colwill said.
Colwill said the faculty is pleased with the increase in funding for the graduate school.
"The FEC has worked very hard to convince the administration that this was very important," she said.
"We particularly like the allocation of money specifically for enhancing graduate student support for junior faculty in the sciences," Colwill said.
Though the increased funding will benefit the Graduate School as a whole, she said, it will also specifically fund ten fellowships to support graduate students who work for junior faculty in the biomedical and physical sciences.
Providing support for junior faculty members helps them in their early careers, Colwill said.
"When we make that kind of commitment, faculty respond," Colwill said. She added that it would encourage faculty loyalty to Brown and encourage them to remain here for a long time.
Colwill said the increased support for graduate students will benefit undergraduates, too.
"Being able to generate preliminary data is essential for grant applications," Colwill said. Once professors receive grants, she added, that grant money can help support undergraduate participation in research and increase the number of research opportunities available to them.
Colwill said she expects the increased support for the Grad School will please faculty. But she added that she also expects the response: "This is a good start, but we need to do more."
"The Graduate School was just one dimension of supporting faculty expansion," Colwill said. She also said faculty would like to see improvements to the Library and increases in office and laboratory space.
"I hope that there is good communication between the faculty and the administration as we decide what the priorities are to accomplish what the Plan (for Academic Enrichment) has set out," Colwill said.
The budget increases have had an immediate effect, Spies said, since the Grad School can now accept more applicants this year.
But he added, "That's not the end of the story."
Spies said there is "ongoing assessment" of all Graduate School programs, including master's programs, but doctoral students are the focus of the University's attention.
"That's, in some sense, where the concentration is, where joint exploration and transmission of knowledge happen most intensely," Spies said. "That's not to say we don't need to pay attention to other things."
But he added, "The role of the Graduate School in the University is a critical one." He said the Brown will focus attention on the doctoral program despite other possible improvements that could be made.
"It will be a little bit of a balancing act," Spies said.