Dean of Financial Aid Jim Tilton will retire at the end of 2022, Provost Richard Locke P’18 wrote in a Today@Brown announcement Thursday morning.
Tilton, who began in his current role in 2006, oversaw the University’s Office of Financial Aid as the amount of money it provided in institutional aid rose from $49.7 million in the 2006-07 academic year to $158.2 million in 2021-22.
“Since arriving on campus in 2006, Jim has worked with Brown’s senior leaders to transform the way the University delivers financial support,” Locke said in the announcement. “As a result, our financial aid program has grown into one of the most comprehensive and inclusive in the country.”
In 2017 and 2018, Tilton oversaw his office’s launch of the Brown Promise, which replaced loans with grants in the University’s financial aid packages. Before then, he “played an essential role” in the University’s elimination of parental contributions for families with incomes under $60,000 and assets under $100,000, Locke said in the statement.
Last fall, the University announced that it would eliminate tuition payments for most families earning under $125,000 with the elimination of home equity assets from financial aid calculations.
According to the announcement, Tilton also helped introduce need-blind admission for military veterans, financial support for books and course materials and support for students affected by the war in Ukraine — while also soliciting donations to increase the endowment for financial aid.
"Dean Tilton has been at the forefront of some of the most monumental changes in financial aid policy in Brown history,” wrote Dean of Admission Logan Powell in an email to The Herald, noting their close professional relationship. “With Jim's leadership, we have transformed the landscape of affordability for future generations of Brunonians."
Tilton’s exit marks the second announcement of a key administrator’s departure this month, with Locke announcing plans on Aug. 11 to depart for Apple’s corporate university.
This story has been updated to include comment from Dean of Admission Logan Powell.
Will Kubzansky is the 133rd editor-in-chief and president of the Brown Daily Herald. Previously, he served as a University News editor overseeing the admission & financial aid and staff & student labor beats. In his free time, he plays the guitar and soccer — both poorly.
