For some of us these last six months seem to have taken more than we had to give. I want to take care, however, to not go too far emphasizing future possibilities and the habits that might ground our “new normal” without appropriately acknowledging that this is also a time of great sadness and extraordinary loss. The rationale for this was complicated, but for heuristic purposes, we can say that Brown recognized that its future as an institution is intimately connected to the future of the city of Providence and the flourishing of its citizens. Second, On July 29, 2020, this institution upheld a commitment it made in 2006 to support the Providence Public schools with a permanent endowment of ten million dollars. Fallibilists hold that our beliefs always need revision. After 226 years the institution assessed the current evidence, consulted with experts, and changed its mind as to what it should be called. First, On Augthis institution changed its official name from Brown University in Providence in the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations to Brown University. Let me give two examples for the sake of clarity. Together then, we will create the “new normal” for this university, a new normal that elevates mutuality-both inside of our University and beyond it-and stresses fallibilism, that our perspective can shift on an issue and we can change our stance.
What we do as a community post-Covid 19, particularly given the vast inequalities that it has reinforced and further exposed, will define this university for the next generation. For those of you who study American philosophy these categories are not new. Mutuality is the habit for shared, equal connections-and fallibilism is the capacity to change one’s mind. The “new normal” we make should be guided by the habits that have driven Brown’s response so far: habits of mutuality and fallibilism. Beyond those vital habits, which all of us have integrated into our daily practices, we can say that the gravity of the moment has compelled us-as an institution-to begin this year from a new ethical outlook, what I want to think of as a “new normal.” It is our task to build on these ethical foundations. I begin by highlighting the moral features of the enterprise we are currently undertaking so that its significance is not reduced to the practices of masking, hand-washing and social distancing. That’s why most of you are not physically on campus right now. For Brown, the collective sacrifice required de-densification of campus and having three semesters. And let me stress that when a community comes together-even virtually-and agrees to make this kind of commitment, it takes a collective sacrifice to see it through. I take this to be a moral commitment, an ethical obligation to protect the well-being of others, especially the most vulnerable. I’m glad you are here.Īnd what a historic entrance this is! To start your time at Brown right now-whether you are in Providence or not-is to honour a commitment to behave in ways that reduce the risk of passing on the Coronavirus. I extend my heartiest welcome to each and every one of you all right now. I welcome you from all nations, all socio-economic classes, all races, all cultures, and all creeds. So I want to take the first of the fifteen minutes I’ve been allotted to welcome you, students of all ages, those of you who are coming to Brown directly from high school, those who are coming from other jobs, those who were in a college or a community college or taking a gap year or doing military service, RUE students, transfer students and students who literally have been doing nothing at all or something I can't think of, welcome. And it means something to me to really welcome each and every one of you. It's an extraordinary honour and a unique privilege to be able to welcome you to Brown University.
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