Brown University names Locke provost

RICHARD M. LOCKE has been appointed provost at Brown University. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY
RICHARD M. LOCKE has been appointed provost at Brown University. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE – Richard M. Locke, director of Brown University’s Thomas J. Watson Institute for International Studies, has been named the university’s 13th provost, effective July 1.

Locke, also a professor of political science and international affairs, succeeds Provost Vicki Leigh Colvin, who recently announced her return to a career of teaching, research and university service.

Brown University President Christina Paxson announced the appointment in a letter to the university community early Monday afternoon.

Paxson wrote that there was broad consensus, after discussions with corporation members and the committee formed to guide the previous provost search, that Brown would be best served by selecting one of its faculty leaders to serve in the position.

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“Rick Locke is a highly respected scholar, has positioned Watson as a prominent center for international and public affairs and emerged as the leading choice among outstanding candidates to lead the university’s academic programs,” Paxson said in a statement. “Rick’s appointment will sustain the momentum we have built as we advance the goals outlined in the Building on Distinction strategic plan.”

As provost, Locke will serve as the university’s chief academic officer, second in rank to president and as the senior officer in charge when the president is away from campus.

Several senior positions report directly to the provost, including the deans of the undergraduate college and graduate school, the dean of the faculty, university librarian, chief information officer, dean of admission, director of financial aid and vice president for research. The provost also chairs the University Resources Committee, which develops recommendations for the university’s next budget, and the Academic Priorities Committee.

Locke came to Brown in 2013 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Under his stewardship, the Watson Institute has raised more than $35 million, enabling significant faculty and programmatic growth, Brown said in a news release.
“I am deeply proud of the progress we have made at Watson during the last two years, and I now look forward to working with the president, faculty, staff, students and other stakeholders in implementing the ambitious plans that Building on Distinction outlines for the future of this university,” Locke said in a statement. “Brown is uniquely positioned to address some of the world’s most pressing problems through the innovative teaching and research initiatives outlined in the strategic plan.”

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