Members: President Simmons, Russell Carey, Margaret Klawunn, Michael Pickett, Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar, James Baird, Timothy Herbert, Lynne Joyrich, Eric Suuberg, Brittaney Check, Diane Mokoro, Michelle Site, Michael Stewart, Heather Lee, Catharine Beattie, Paul Magliocco, Katherine Perry, Rebekah Eckstein, Daniel Harrop, and Ken McDaniel were in attendance. Provost Kertzer, Bill Twaddell, Corey Brettschneider, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Evelyn Hu-Dehart, Kiri Miller, Corey Walker, Yelen Chihombori Quao, Eva Glieberman, Ryan Hartigan, Sunil Hebbar, Gillian Bell, Yolanda Castillo-Appollonio, and Charlie Kroll were unable to attend.
The minutes of the April 22, 2010 meeting were approved.
Matt Gutmann, Vice President for International Affairs, reviewed the programs and initiatives undertaken by the Brown community directly following the earthquake in Haiti. Mr. Gutmann also spoke about Brown’s efforts to help restore Haiti’s health, education, and cultural sectors through the Brown-Haiti Medical Exchange; Brown Haitian Studies Initiatives; and the John Carter Brown Library’s “Remember Haiti” Initiative. Members of the Pakistan Flood Relief Committee gave an overview of events and fundraisers being organized to assist in the recovery efforts and to teach people about Pakistan. A teach-in is scheduled for September 24 and a student talent show fundraiser is planned for October 1. Karen Davis, Vice President for Human Resources, reported on the implementation of several of the recommendations of the Organizational Review Committee. Academic units have developed agreements to share administrative resources. A service center has been launched to support administration in the offices of the Provost, Dean of the College, Registrar, Financial Aid and Admission. Graphic Services has expanded its capacity to provide editorial and creative support. Desktop support services have been consolidated into the CIS department.
Margaret Klawunn, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, Ricky Gresh, Senior Director for Student Engagement, and Kisa Takesue, Director of the Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, spoke about the new Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. The priorities of the renovation were to: create a transparent sense of activity from outside and within; expand open, formal community space; expand food services; create a sense of arrival and clear information point; and retain and enhance existing mix of function space. Programs held at the center will focus on: facilitating faculty-student interaction; building a shared sense of community, connecting the curricular and co-curricular lives of students; and enhancing and supporting the student groups using the center.
Marisa Quinn, Vice President for Public Affairs and University Relations, gave an overview of the newly redesigned Brown website. Ms. Quinn discussed the reasons for the redesign and reviewed the processes followed in the redesign. The site, launched on September 7, features a more accessible home page that supports multimedia.
The next meeting of the Brown University Community Council will be held on October 12, 2010 from 4:00 – 5:30 pm at Brown Hillel, 80 Brown Street.
Respectfully submitted,
Catherine Pincince, Secretary of the Brown University Community Council