Brown University President Christina Paxson to Step Down After Clashes With Trump Administration

Brown University President Christina Paxson announced on Monday that she will step down at the end of the current academic year, concluding a tenure marked by major challenges, including a high-profile dispute with President Donald Trump's administration over federal funding and higher education policies.

In an open letter published by Brown University, Paxson said she had originally intended to leave a year earlier but chose to remain in office to help the university manage a federal funding freeze that threatened its academic and research mission. The Providence, Rhode Island-based Ivy League institution became one of the first universities targeted during the Trump administration’s crackdown on colleges over issues including campus protests related to the Israel-Gaza conflict, diversity initiatives, and institutional governance.

Federal officials had threatened to withhold approximately $510 million in grants from Brown. In July 2025, the university reached an agreement with the administration that restored the funding. Under the deal, Brown committed to commissioning an independent review of its campus climate, including the experiences of Jewish students, and recommending measures to strengthen the university environment.

However, Paxson later rejected another proposal from the administration that was sent to several elite universities. The offer suggested that schools adopting policies such as limiting international student enrollment, defining gender solely by biological sex, and prohibiting the consideration of race or sex in hiring and admissions would receive favorable treatment for federal funding. Paxson argued that accepting those conditions would compromise Brown's academic freedom and institutional independence.

Despite ongoing tensions with the federal government, Paxson said in her farewell message that Brown continues to secure significant research grants supporting innovative projects with national impact. She expressed confidence in the university's future even as the landscape for higher education remains uncertain.

Her presidency also included responding to a devastating campus shooting in December, when a former student killed two students and injured nine others before later killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and taking his own life. Following the tragedy, federal authorities reviewed Brown University's emergency alert procedures and campus surveillance systems, adding another defining challenge to Paxson's leadership.