The following is a list of presidents of Brown University From 1765 to the 1920s, the president was required by the University Charter to be of the Baptist denomination:
| Image | President | Brown Class | Life | Tenure | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | 1738–1791 | 1765–1791 | The College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was founded in Warren, (1765) and relocated to Providence (1770). Brown's current campus on College Hill is established with the construction of University Hall (1770). The college closed in December 1776 due to the American Revolution and reopened in September 1782.[1] | |||
| 2 | Jonathan Maxcy | 1787 | 1768–1820 | 1792–1802 | First alum to be president and youngest president in Brown's history; Maxcy's reputation as a skilled orator benefited the reputation of the fledgling college.[2] [3] Enrollment passed 100 students (1800). | ||
| 3 | Asa Messer | 1790 | 1769–1836 | 1802–1826 | The College of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was renamed Brown University following a gift from Nicholas Brown, Jr (1804). A program in medical study was organized in 1811. The Messer administration was characterized by increasing unruliness and misbehavior of students.[4] | ||
| 4 | – | 1796–1865 | 1827–1855 | Wayland sought out to improve student discipline. Medical instruction was suspended (1827) following a dispute over a proposed residence requirement for medical professors.[5] Brown established the third civilian engineering program in the country (1847). Wayland urged adoption of a broader curriculum (1850), laying the groundwork for the Open Curriculum. | |||
| 5 | Barnas Sears | 1825 | 1802–1880 | 1855–1867 | Despite the Panic of 1857 and Civil War, Sears oversaw the construction of a new chemistry laboratory and an increase in the University's endowment.[6] Entrance and degree requirements were made stricter, benefiting the reputation of the University.[7] Sears was widely popular among students.[8] | ||
| 6 | Alexis Caswell | 1822 | 1799–1877 | 1868–1872 | The University's financial assets grew by nearly 85%.Tuition, faculty salaries, and enrollment all increased.[9] | ||
| 7 | Ezekiel Robinson[10] | 1838 | 1815–1894 | 1872–1889 | Graduate study was instituted (1888–1889). Robinson (1878), Slater (1879), and Sayles Halls (1881) were constructed. | ||
| 8 | Elisha Andrews | 1870 | 1844–1917 | 1889–1898 | Enrollment more than doubled.[11] The graduate program was expanded and the Women's College was founded (1891). | ||
| 9 | William Faunce[12] | 1880 | 1859–1930 | 1899–1929 | Enrollment passed 1,000 (1915) and doubled to pass 2,000 (1925). The Women's College was renamed Pembroke College in Brown University (1928). | ||
| 10 | Clarence Barbour | 1888 | 1867–1937 | 1929–1937 | Last of long line of Baptist minister Presidents | ||
| 11 | Henry Wriston | – | 1889–1978 | 1937–1955 | First non-Baptist (Methodist) president and first president since Wayland to not be a Brown alumnus | ||
| 12 | Barnaby Keeney | – | 1914–1980 | 1955–1966 | Brown purchased the Dexter Asylum property. | ||
| 13 | Ray Heffner | – | 1925–2012 | 1966–1969 | Brown's New Curriculum was passed. Heffner resigned after only three years, stating "I have simply reached the conclusion that I do not enjoy being a university president."[13] | ||
| 14 | Donald Hornig | – | 1920–2013 | 1970–1976 | Pembroke fully merged with the College of Brown University (1971). A medical program was re-established (1972).[14] | ||
| 15 | – | 1932–1991 | 1977–1988 | Under Swearer's leadership, Brown advanced in rankings, saw a threefold increase in research grants, quadrupled its previously-dwindling endowment, and grew in popularity.[15] [16] The Watson Institute was founded as the Institute for International Studies (1986). Brown's athletic facilities expanded significantly with the construction of both the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center (1981) and the Pizzitola Sports Center (1988).[17] | |||
| 16 | Vartan Gregorian | – | 1934–2021 | 1989–1997 | Vartan Gregorian was Brown's first foreign-born president. During his tenure, Brown saw fundraising success, with the University's endowment surpassing $1 billion.[18] Applications increased, undergraduate scholarships doubled, and the University's reputation grew.[19] [20] | ||
| 17 | – | 1944– | 1998–2000 | Plans were announced for a large biomedical sciences building requiring the sale of $80 million in bonds; funds were cut for a popular string quartet drawing criticism that Gee's vision is at odds with the University's liberal arts-oriented identity.[21] Gee resigned abruptly after only two years in a move criticized by University leaders.[22] | |||
| 18 | Ruth Simmons | – | 1945– | 2001–2012 | At the time of her appointment Simmons became Brown's first woman president and the first African-American president of an Ivy League university.[23] In 2001, Time named Simmons America's best college president. The Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences (2006) and Granoff Center for the Creative Arts both opened (2011). Following a $100 million gift, the Medical School was renamed the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University (2007).[24] The University opened a new medical campus in the Jewelry District (2011).[25] | ||
| 19 | Christina Paxson | – | 1960– | 2012– | Christina Paxson is Brown's current president. During her tenure, Brown has established its School of Public Health, expanded the physical footprint of the School of Engineering, and completed a historically large fundraising campaign.[26] [27] The university has also undertaken a significant expansion of residential facilities, constructing its first new dormitories in 35 years.[28] [29] |