ACF on Brown University President Christina Paxson's Announced Departure

Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) notes the announcement that Brown University President Christina H. Paxson will step down at the end of the 2026–2027 academic year, ending a 15-year tenure, the longest of any current Ivy League president. The Brown Corporation will launch a national search for her successor.

President Paxson led Brown through a turbulent stretch: anti-Israel encampments and campus tensions over antisemitism after the October 7, 2023, attacks, a high-profile clash with the federal government, and, in December 2025, a campus shooting that killed two students and injured nine others. She was publicly credited by Jewish leaders, including Brown-RISD Hillel and Chabad of College Hill, for her “unwavering support” amid the 2024 encampments, and Brown's Jewish enrollment grew during her tenure even as many peer institutions saw declines.

Her tenure also included decisions that ACF followed closely. In October 2024, the Brown Corporation rejected a student-led BDS proposal — a decision ACF cautiously applauded, while noting that holding the vote risked lending the BDS movement undue credibility. Last summer, Brown reached a settlement with the Trump administration, $50 million over 10 years to Rhode Island workforce programs, that restored more than $500 million in research funding. President Paxson extended her term to manage that fight and later rejected a separate compact to tie research funding to ideological alignment, citing academic freedom.

ACF views this leadership transition as a consequential moment for Brown, as the next president will inherit open questions about campus climate, the reinstatement of Brown’s SJP chapter, and the safety of Jewish and pro-Israel students.

“We thank President Paxson for 15 years of dedicated service and leadership on behalf of Brown and our Jewish community. As the university begins the search for its next president, ACF looks forward to working closely with the new leadership,” said Naomi Reinharz, ACF-Brown chapter leader. “Our mission is straightforward — to combat antisemitism and ensure Jewish and pro-Israel students can thrive on campus — and we are committed to partnering with Brown’s next president to make that a shared priority from day one.”

About ACF: Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) leverages the unique power of alumni to combat antisemitism on college campuses. ACF helps organize and cultivate alumni chapters for colleges and universities across the country, equipping members with tools, tactics, and training to proactively engage with administrators. Learn more at www.campusfairness.org.