- Intellectual Diversity

In recent years, the concept of diversity has become an increasingly important concern for universities and colleges throughout the United States. Generally diversity is viewed solely in terms of race, sex, or ethnicity while diversity in ideas is often ignored. Yet it is this type of diversity that is most relevant to the mission of an institution of higher learning. The educated mind - the very essence of which is the ability to contemplate ideas without unquestioning acceptance or blind rejection - is most likely to thrive in an environment of intellectual diversity.

Intellectual Diversity at Brown

Today, Brown presents an historic opportunity for reform. The moment is unique because all the necessary pieces are in place to make changes that will have a permanent effect on the University. As recent graduates, we are in an ideal position to connect current students with older alums who have the means to support their efforts.

The administration appears open to reform. In both public speeches and private meetings, President Ruth Simmons and other administrators have stated that they want Brown to be more intellectually diverse. But in practice, they have taken, at best, baby steps toward this goal. The Foundation for Intellectual Diversity will provide that extra push so that substantive change begins to occur.

The success of the Foundation would mean that funding and institutional support would always be available for students at Brown who do not fit the mold of the current campus orthodoxy. At a minimum, the Foundation would keep in check any radical excesses of the University, aiding those students who all too often feel outnumbered and underrepresented.

But the Foundation can do much more than that. Surely a comprehensive program of reform —speaker series, conferences, an established student publication, and changes to the curriculum and code of student conduct — would affect the political and intellectual culture of the University.

At stake is nothing less than the future of one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country. It is our hope that one day Brown will be a model for other colleges and universities, as one of the few places in the country where liberals, conservatives, and others engage in a high-minded and free-spirited debate over their ideas, values, and beliefs.


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	In recent years, the concept of diversity has become an increasingly important concern for universities and colleges throughout the United States. Generally diversity is viewed solely in terms of race, sex, or ethnicity while diversity in ideas is often ignored. Yet it is this type of diversity that is most relevant to the mission of an institution of higher learning. The educated mind - the very essence of which is the ability to contemplate ideas without unquestioning acceptance or blind rejection - is most likely to thrive in an environment of intellectual diversity. Intellectual Diversity at Brown Today, Brown presents an historic opportunity for reform. The moment is unique because all the necessary pieces are in place to make changes that will have a permanent effect on the University. As recent graduates, we are in an ideal position to connect current students with older alums who have the means to support their efforts. The administration appears open to reform. In both public speeches and private meetings, President Ruth Simmons and other administrators have stated that they want Brown to be more intellectually diverse. But in practice, they have taken, at best, baby steps toward this goal. The Foundation for Intellectual Diversity will provide that extra push so that substantive change begins to occur. The success of the Foundation would mean that funding and institutional support would always be available for students at Brown who do not fit the mold of the current campus orthodoxy. At a minimum, the Foundation would keep in check any radical excesses of the University, aiding those students who all too often feel outnumbered and underrepresented. But the Foundation can do much more than that. Surely a comprehensive program of reform —speaker series, conferences, an established student publication, and changes to the curriculum and code of student conduct — would affect the political and intellectual culture of the University. At stake is nothing less than the future of one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country. It is our hope that one day Brown will be a model for other colleges and universities, as one of the few places in the country where liberals, conservatives, and others engage in a high-minded and free-spirited debate over their ideas, values, and beliefs.

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