Who Is Laura Brown?

Yesterday, Prof. Laura Brown was named the new vice provost for undergraduate education.

"Laura has a broad range of experience to offer," [Provost Kent] Fuchs said. "She's taught in the First-Year Writing Seminar Program for many years and has a commitment to teaching excellence. She also offers a long history of experience with a number of leadership positions, including participation in the Faculty Senate. She has demonstrated excellence in all of her work, and she brings a lot to the table."

A few notes about Brown...

First, when was the last time she taught a course? She does not have a page on RateMyProfessors.com, which is bizarre for a college professor. A quick skim through the English department course listings shows that she hasn't taught any courses recently. Her CV doesn't have a list of courses she's taught, which is usually something Cornell professors like to put down.

Brown is also apparently a member of the April Third Movement, which was an anti-war movement at Stanford (where she was an undergrad). From the group's website:

That demand laid the foundation for the April Third Movement (A3M), one of the highlights of the anti-war decade at Stanford.

... grew into the Stanford version of the national student strike in response to the U.S. invasion of Cambodia—a combination of daytime marches, night-time confrontations with police, teach-ins, and the early end to Spring quarter...

The Movement put an end to classified research at Stanford and forced ROTC off campus; and we believe that along with similar movements—among students, GIs, and others—it hastened an end to the war.

Brown is one of only 16 members to have an entry on the "directory" page, and hers was submitted by her husband, Cornell professor Walter Cohen (comparative literature). Cohen's entry is much more personal and detailed:

Though I am profoundly grateful for the effects those years had on me, my memories are not only not triumphalist; they are tinged with sadness, even grief. I care a lot about politics, social theory, and the like, but it is the human losses of the time--some American, but overwhelmingly Asian--that dominate my emotions.

This is interesting not because of her involvement in the movement 30 years ago, but because of the group's evidently still strong identity and pride this many years later. Hopefully the Cornell ROTC won't do some digging into her past.

Back in 2006, Brown served on the presidential search committee which brought David Skorton to campus, so she has experience working with top administrators.

As we'd expect from a Cornell professor with a named position, Brown has published six books and a number of papers.

Congratulations and best of luck to our new vice provost.