Douglas Belkin, Liz Essley Whyte and Natalie Andrews:
The deal follows Columbia University’s agreement to pay $200 million to the federal government over three years to settle allegations it violated antidiscrimination law and to restore federal funding.
The $50 million Brown is paying is to Rhode Island workforce-development organizations of the school’s choosing; it will be paid over 10 years. The agreement doesn’t include any payments or fines to the federal government, said Brown President Christina Paxson in a letter to the school community.
A federal funding freeze that began in April “posed enormous challenges for Brown’s research mission and financial sustainability,” Paxson wrote. Left unaddressed, the freeze “would have undermined our ability to conduct life-saving research and to offer our students a world-class education.”