Robert A. Brown (born July 22, 1951) is the 10th president of
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
. He was formerly the provost of
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
.
In 1991, Brown was elected as a member into the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
for the application of computing techniques to fundamental and practical problems in fluid mechanics, rheology, and crystal growth.
Biography
Brown is a chemical engineer by training. A native of
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, he received his B.S. and M.A. in chemical engineering from the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, and his Ph.D., also in chemical engineering, from the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
in 1979.
In 1979, Brown joined the faculty of
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
as an assistant professor. He worked at MIT for 25 years before moving across the
Charles River
The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles bac ...
to become the president of
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
. During his tenure at
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
, he served as Warren K. Lewis Professor of Chemical Engineering, co-director of the MIT Supercomputer Facility, Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Dean of Engineering. In 1998, he became the
provost of MIT.
Brown was selected as the 10th president of
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
in May 2005. He was inaugurated in September 2005, succeeding
Aram V. Chobanian, who served as President from October 2003 until June 2005.
Brown became an honorary citizen of Singapore in January 2006 for being a key role in creating collaborations between the
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in th ...
, the
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various in ...
and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of th ...
and established world-class graduate research and educational programmes to Singapore.
In February 2006, President
George W. Bush appointed Brown to the
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) is a council, chartered (or re-chartered) in each administration with a broad mandate to advise the president of the United States on science and technology. The current PCAST ...
(PCAST), a panel established to maintain a steady stream of expert advice from the private sector and the academic community on a wide range of scientific and technical matters.
Brown is a member of the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...
, the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
, and the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
, and a director of
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
.
Brown served as a member of the Board of the
Aalto University
Aalto University ( fi, Aalto-yliopisto; sv, Aalto-universitetet) is a public research university located in Espoo, Finland. It was established in 2010 as a merger of three major Finnish universities: the Helsinki University of Technology, the ...
from 2008-2010.
He was honored with the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
Simon Ramo Founders Award in 2014 for his contributions to engineering and society.
Brown's Presidency
As president of Boston University, Brown led the development of a strategic plan, ''Choosing to be Great'', that outlined commitments that the university must make to be among the best private research universities in the world, and has led the detailed implementation of the plan. In 2015, he released an updated strategic plan, which highlighted some of the successes of the original plan's implementation, including reducing the size of the incoming freshman class, improving the academic credentials of admitted students, and lowering the student-to-faculty ratio, resulting in higher student achievement and improved graduation rates.
Initiatives & development
Under Brown's presidency, the university has created the
Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College, a residential honors college for Boston University undergraduates, which was dedicated in 2011, and the
Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University (also referred to as The Pardee School and Pardee School of Global Studies) is Boston University's newest school and was officially established in 2015 by consolidating and re ...
, established in 2014, which combines traditional international relations with faculty in the humanities and social sciences interested in global students, as well as the traditional area studies centers.
In 2013, the University created the Initiative on Cities, with the former
Mayor of Boston
The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four ...
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...
as a founding co-director. The IOC focuses on engaging urban leaders, academics, and policy makers to help plan for the development of essential services and sustainable infrastructure necessary for cities to flourish. Following Mayor Menino's death in fall 2014, his legacy was continued through the Annual Menino Survey of Mayors.
The progress of Boston University has been acknowledged in many ways, including improved
academic rankings and by bond rating improvements. Most notably, in 2012, Boston University was admitted to the
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...
(AAU), the group of premier public and private research universities in the United States and Canada.
New facilities built during Brown's presidency include:
*Yawkey Center for Student Services, which combines undergraduate student services with a modern dining hall
*New Balance Field, the second athletic field for the university, built above a parking structure
*
33 Agganis Way, a two-building 960-bed undergraduate residence
*Medical Student Residence on the
Medical Campus
*
Sumner Redstone Building for the School of Law (accompanied by complete renovation of the Law Tower, completed in 2015)
*The Engineering Product Innovation Center, a 15,000-square-foot space for engineering product development and collaboration used by students in the
College of Engineering
Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations that ...
*The Alan and Sherry Leventhal Center, the visitor center for the Charles River Campus, which houses the undergraduate admissions reception center
*The
National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory
The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, or NEIDL, is a biosciences facility of Boston University located near Boston Medical Center on Albany Street in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
The lab is part of a nati ...
(NEIDL), the somewhat controversial laboratory supported by the
NIH
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
, which houses a
Biosafety Containment 4 (BSL-4) laboratory, the highest containment level for performing research on the most lethal infectious diseases.
*The Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering, a 180,000-square-foot research facility
Campaign for BU
Many of these initiatives have been driven by the University's first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, which was launched in 2012 with the goal of raising $1 billion by the end of 2017. The goal of the campaign was raised to $1.5 billion in September 2015.
Retirement
On September 7, 2022, Brown announced his intention to retire at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year.
Personal
Brown lives in
Brookline
Brookline may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston
* Brookline, Missouri
* Brookline, New Hampshire
* Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Brookline, Vermont
See ...
with his wife, Dr. Beverly Brown, who
works at Boston University as director of development, industry at the School of Public Health at Boston University. They have two grown sons.
Awards and honors
* 4x Outstanding Faculty Award, Department of Chemical Engineering,
M.I.T. (1980, 1983, 1985, 1988)
*
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation is a New York City-based foundation founded in 1946 by chemist and investor Camille Dreyfus in honour of his brother, Henry Dreyfus. The two men invented the acetate yarn Celanese, and Henry Dreyfus was ...
Teacher-Scholar Award (1983)
* Young Author Award, American Association of Crystal Growth (1984)
* Allan P. Colburn Award,
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical enginee ...
(1986)
* Elected to the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
(1991)
* Professional Progress Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1996)
* Professional Progress Lecture, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (1997)
* Elected to the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...
(2001)
* Named ''
Honorary Citizen
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
of the Republic of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
'' (2006)
* Named one of the ''100 Most Influential Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era'' by the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical enginee ...
(2008)
* Simon Ramo Founders Award,
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
(2014)
* Chief Executive Leadership Award, District One of
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement. This field encompasses alumni relations, communications, marketin ...
(CASE) (2015)
References
External links
Boston University official biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Robert A.
1951 births
Living people
American chemical engineers
People from San Antonio
Presidents of Boston University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology provosts
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni
Cockrell School of Engineering alumni
Directors of DuPont
People from Winchester, Massachusetts
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Minnesota CEMS
Honorary Citizens of Singapore