Brown president to leave after clash over $510 million in funding
Why it matters: Christina Paxson stayed an extra year to steer Brown through a federal funding freeze tied to campus policy demands.
Brown University President Christina Paxson will step down at the end of the academic year after extending her tenure to help the school through a federal funding fight with President Donald Trump’s administration. In a letter published Monday, Paxson said she had planned to leave a year earlier but stayed to navigate a freeze that threatened Brown’s mission. The administration had moved to block $510 million in federal grants before Brown reached a July 2025 deal restoring the money. The agreement required a third-party review of campus climate, including for Jewish students. In October, Paxson also rejected a broader federal proposal that linked funding to limits on international students and changes to gender, hiring and admissions policies.