In March 2020, as novel coronavirus spread across the globe, Brown made the difficult decision to transition students from in-person to remote learning. Almost all undergraduates left the residence halls, completing the 2019-20 academic year from a distance — marking the first time the University had suspended all in-person instruction since the Revolutionary War — and the Class of 2020 celebrated its graduation with a virtual ceremony. To protect the health and safety of its community, Brown welcomed students back to campus in phases in Fall 2020. Navigating a reduced-density campus, students, faculty and staff wore masks, practiced social distancing and participated in regular COVID-19 testing. By late 2021, Brown had achieved near-universal levels of COVID-19 vaccination, boosting the safety of the entire campus. In May 2022, the University hosted a one-of-a-kind Commencement and Reunion Weekend, celebrating Class of 2022 graduates and Class of 2020 graduates who missed their in-person Commencement due to the pandemic.

Part of an innovative vision to create an integrated space focused on well-being, Brown welcomed students to Sternlicht Commons and Brown University Health and Wellness, the first new residence hall to open on campus in 30 years, in September 2021. The Brook Street building housed 162 students who shared a deep commitment to sustaining healthy lifestyles and promoting well-being. The center also united under one roof multiple services and programs that play a crucial role in students’ physical and emotional well-being, including Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Brown Emergency Medical Services and BWell, the University’s health promotion program. Two years later, Brown opened the Chen Family and William and Ami Danoff residence halls a few blocks south on Brook Street, further expanding its on-campus housing capacity.

In October 2023, Brown marked major milestones in its efforts to expand support for U.S. military veterans: welcoming its largest-ever cohort of new undergraduate student veterans; doubling the total enrollment of those students one year ahead of schedule; and surpassing an ambitious fundraising goal to permanently fund full scholarships for future generations of student veterans. The success stemmed from a sweeping initiative launched on Veterans Day in 2019, which expanded recruiting efforts, increased financial support and removed barriers to enable more military veterans to achieve a Brown undergraduate education. Turning Brown into an affordable choice and a supportive educational environment for a broader segment of the nation’s courageous veterans not only honored their service, but also enhanced the education of all Brown students.

Fulfilling a vision discussed as early as 1974, Brown opened The Lindemann Performing Arts Center — a truly unique, radically flexible center for performance and artistic experimentation. Designed by REX architecture, The Lindemann was created to inspire innovative art-making, enable unprecedented artistic collaboration and serve as a hub for performance. Its main hall shifts into five configurations, including a 530-seat orchestral performance space with raked seating, a flat-floored cube for immersive multimedia installments, and a theater with wing space on either side of the stage. Inside the Nelson Atwater Lobby, a dynamic light installation by artist Leo Villareal keeps visitors and audiences company. And below the main floor are studio spaces designed specifically for dance, theater and music, along with an array of green rooms, practice rooms and storage areas.

Amid headwinds facing the health care sector, the Lifespan health system and Brown University finalized a set of expanded affiliation agreements in June 2024 to strengthen top-quality patient care, medical education and biomedical research in Rhode Island. As part of the agreements, Lifespan changed its name to Brown University Health, enhancing its ability to recruit and retain world-class physicians and reflecting a deeper alignment between the system’s clinical care and Brown’s academic and research focus. The agreements also included reciprocal financial investments between Lifespan and Brown, which continued as separate, independent organizations including after the rebrand to Brown University Health.

Upon the recommendation of the Brown faculty, the Brown Corporation approved a formal Statement of University Values and Voice in May 2025 outlining four core institutional values to guide the University in the fulfillment of its mission: the pursuit of knowledge and understanding; academic freedom and freedom of expression; a commitment to openness and diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences; and responsibility for a thriving academic community. While Brown’s charter and mission statement had given the institution clear purpose across generations, the University had never before defined its core values. Created through an inclusive community process and developed to stand the test of time, the statement articulated in plain, uncomplicated terms a core set of principles. The statement also defined University “voice” — a public statement or action that intentionally expresses a position on an issue — and clarified why it is used.