Story perspectives

Brown President Paxson to Step Down After $50 M Settlement

8/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson announced she will step down at the end of the 2026–27 academic year.
She secured a $50 million settlement with President Donald Trump’s administration that restored over $500 million in frozen research funds.
A December campus shooting that killed two students and injured nine prompted lawsuits alleging security failures.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan praised Paxson’s leadership and announced a national search for her successor.

History

Historical Context

The 1970 Kent State massacre, where Ohio National Guard troops fired 67 rounds, killing four students and sparking a nationwide student strike, prompted federal campus-security reforms under President Richard Nixon. Decades later, the legacy of those reforms frames the 2026 resignation of Brown University President Christina H. Paxson after the 2023 campus shooting that killed two students.

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Story summary

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson announced she will step down at the end of the 2026–27 academic year.
She secured a $50 million settlement with President Donald Trump’s administration that restored over $500 million in frozen research funds.
A December campus shooting that killed two students and injured nine prompted lawsuits alleging security failures.
Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan praised Paxson’s leadership and announced a national search for her successor.

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