BROWN UNIVERSITY (so named after Nicholas Brown, one of its most munificent pa trons). One of the oldest institutions of learn ing in the United States, situated in Provi dence, 11. I. The charter of the university was granted by the General Assembly of Rhode Island in 1764, and instruction was begun in Warren in 1765. The inception of the univer sity was mainly due to discriminations made against Baptist students in existing American colleges, and to the consequent desire of the Bap tists for a college under their own control. Under the initiative of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. Rhode Island was chosen as the home of the new college, since that Colony was Baptist 'in origin and popular attachment,' and also recognized 'absolute religious liberty.' The charter of the university provided for a corporation of 12 fellows and 36 trustees; S of the fellows, including the president, to be Bap tists, and the other 4 of any denomination, and 22 of the trustees to be Baptists, and the remain ing 14 of other specified Protestant denomina tions. At the seine time the charter enacted that into the 'liberal and catholic institution' so created 'religious tests' should 'never be ad mitted,' but that, on the contrary. all the mem bers thereof should 'enjoy full, free, absolute, and uninterrupted liberty of conscience.' The first president of the college was the Rev. James Manning, a Princeton graduate. He es tablished a Latin school in Warren. preparatory to the beginning of collegiate instruction, and this school was removed, together with the col lege, to Providence in 1770, and has since existed there as the University Grammar School. In the spring of 17:0 the foundations of the first per manent college building, the present University Hall, were laid on the crest of a hill overlooking the town and surrounding country of Providence. In 1S(14 the name of the college was changed from Rhode Island College to Brown University in honor of Nicholas Brown, of the class of 1786, whose gifts to the college amounted to not less than $160,000. The growth of the university was gradual until the election of its fourth president, the Rev. Francis Wayland, in 1827. In the twent-eight veers of his administration President Wayland brought about an entire re organization and a great expansion in the scope of the work of the university. The elective prin ciple was recognized ; sciences were introduced and made prominent in the curriculum : the per manent funds were largely augmented. and the influence and intellectual prestige of the institu tion were raised. But the work which President Wayland had begun was not vigorously prose cuted after his resignation, and it was not until the accession to the presidency in 1889 of the Bev. Elisha Benjamin Andrews. a graduate of the class of IS70, that the modern life of the university, properly speaking. began. During
his term of office the number of undergraduate students increased from 268 to S64, and of gradu ate students from 3 to 101; all scholastic de partments, and especially those in the human ities, were much enlarged, and in October, 1891, the ‘Voinen's College was founded. At first, only the privilege of university examinations was granted, but in 1892 all the university degrees, and also the graduate courses, were opened to women, and in 1897 the institution was formally accepted by the corporation as the Women's Col lege in Brown University, and its management vested in a dean, subject to the direction of the president of the university, Brown University offers courses leading to the degrees of A.B.. Ph.B., B.S., C.E., A.M., and Ph.D. Candidates for the degrees of A.B. and Ph.B. are offered a large range of electives after the freshman year. For the more technical degree of B.S. less freedom of election is given, while for the degrees M.E. and C.E. no option is given. Of recent years Thrown has placed much emphasis upon post-graduate work. The income of about 100 scholarships is avail able for needy students: in addition there is a considerable aid loan fund.
The libraries number 110,000 voluines, besides 30,000 pamphlets. These include various depart mental libraries, of which the most important are the Harkness •Classical Seminary Library, the Romance Seminary Library, and the Conant German Seminary Library of 6000 volumes. In the main library is the Harris Collection of American Poetry, numbering 5000 volumes. The equipment of the university includes the Jenks Museum of Zoology, the Museum of Anthro pology, the Olney Herbarium, the Museum of Classical Arelnvology, and the Ladd Astronom ical Observatory, furnished with a 12-inch equa torial and other minor apparatus. The Physical Laboratory occupies a costly separate building, and the Anatomical, Chemical. Botanical, Psy chological, and Engineering departments all have important libraries.
In 1901 the endowments of the university amounted to $1,657,000. At the seine time there were 89 professors and instructors and a student body of 872, of whom 94 were graduate students, 624 undergraduates, and 154 students in the Women's College.
The presidents have been: .Tames Manning, 1765-91 ; .Jonathan Maxey, 1792-1802; Asa Mes ser, 1802-26; Francis Wayland, 18'27-55; Barnas Sears, 1855-67; Alexis Caswell, 1868-T2; Ezekiel G. Robinson, 1872-89; Elisha B. Andrews, 1889 9S; Rev. William Herbert Perry Faunce, I) D., 1899—. Consult : Brown University, An nual Reports of President (Providence, 1809, et seq.) ; Executive Board, Sketch of the History and Present Organization of Brown University (Providence, 1801).