Brown 2026

About Brown 2026

In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026, President Christina H. Paxson in January 2024 appointed a faculty-led committee to lead an initiative called “Brown 2026” to consider how the University can best contribute to scholarship, teaching and programming on the history and legacies of the American Revolution, as well as the role of research universities in a democracy.

Brown 2026 aspires to engage the full University community, reaching across the arts and humanities as well as the social, physical, and life sciences. This initiative builds on Brown’s long-standing commitment to open inquiry, a demonstrated willingness to engage in discussions of complex and contested issues, and a record of frank reckoning with history, which uniquely positions the institution among universities nationally to lead and conduct informed, nuanced discussions of the history and significance of the American Revolution and its legacies.

This commitment calls upon the Brown community to confront important questions facing democracies both today and in the past leading up to and throughout 2026.

The Role of Universities in a Democratic Society with Brown 2026

What’s the role of a university in a democratic society? What responsibility do universities have to foster the public good, and what responsibilities does the public have to support centers of education and research? These have become some of the most fraught and pressing questions in our current moment. But of course, they’re also timeless questions — ones that are as old as the United States itself. On this episode, Mark Blyth explores these questions with Kevin McLaughlin and Karin Wulf.

The Rhodes Center Podcast with Mark Blyth

Get Involved

Have ideas, proposals, or questions about participating in the Brown 2026 initiative? Contact brown2026democracy@brown.edu to share your thoughts and get involved.