Watson Institute Commencement Events and Activities
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Friday, May 24, 2019:
Master of Public Affairs Commencement Weekend Mixer
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, 111 Thayer Street, Lobby
Join the MPA program directors and staff before Campus Dance for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. All MPA and MPP alumni, current MPA students and their guests are invited.
Saturday, May 25, 2019:
Commencement Forum ─ The Future of Media and Political Engagement
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Stephen Robert '62 Hall, Room 101, 280 Brook Street
For the past decade, media and news companies have experienced rapid disruption and digital evolution. In today’s economic and political climate, the future of the media is at a pivotal point in history. Join the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs and the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship for a panel featuring Brown alumni who are operating at the intersection of commerce, politics, new technology and news.
Panelists:
Jenny Kaplan '14, co-founder, Wonder Media Network
Jenny Backus '90, political media strategist
Ellen McGirt '84, senior editor, Fortune Magazine
Jon Klein '80, former president, CNN/US
Moderator: Edward Steinfeld, Howard R. Swearer Director of the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Research Universities: Engines for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth
11:00 a.m.
Joukowsky Forum, 111 Thayer Street
Research universities have a role to play in spurring economic development and the growth of good jobs in their local economies. This forum will offer examples of best practices and the conditions necessary for success. In this context, the discussion will focus on the University’s strategic action plan, “Brown and the Innovation Economy,” which was developed with input from more than 70 meetings, focus groups and interview sessions with an array of leaders and relevant experts from the public, private and nonprofit sectors in Providence and Rhode Island. The plan identifies key economic areas in which Brown is positioned to make an immediate impact and establishes action items aimed at maximizing that impact. With an emphasis on developing partnerships, the plan calls for incentivizing entrepreneurs to build ventures in Rhode Island, translating medical discoveries into products and companies, increasing the University’s engagement with private industry, building new innovation infrastructure and helping Brown faculty to turn research ideas into commercial ventures.
Richard M. Locke, provost and Schreiber Family Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs; Kathleen Eisenhardt, Stanford W. Ascherman M.D. Professor and co-director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program; Ben Armstrong, Postdoctoral Research Associate
The Vietnam War – The Enduring Impact on the Brown Community
3:30 p.m.
John Hay Library, Willis Reading Room, 20 Prospect Street
The 1960s were a time of turmoil and unrest. With war raging in Vietnam and demonstrations mounting here at home, many Brown graduates — both men and women — faced challenges and made life-altering choices. While some protested or fled the country, others enlisted in the armed forces and were sent overseas. Some never came home. Unpack the ways the war shaped a generation of Americans and affected the Brown community in a thought provoking discussion with a panel of alumni experts and service members. Learn how the war affected the entire Brown community a half-century ago and how it continues to shape the lives of Brunonians today.
Thelma Austin ’69, publisher; David I. Kertzer ’69, Paul R. Dupee Jr., University Professor of Social Science, professor of anthropology and Italian studies, Brown University; and Scott Somers ’69 (Naval ROTC, U.S. Navy), co-founder of an executive search firm
Moderated by Joe Petteruti ’69 (Rhode Island Air National Guard), former vice president, Bank of America
Sunday, May 26, 2019:
Graduate School Master's Ceremony
10:30 a.m.
Meehan Auditorium - 225 Hope Street
This Graduate School ceremony for master's and executive master's students, their families and friends features the awarding of degrees and honors. Associate Dean of Master's Education Shayna Kessel presides. Program Director Eric Patashnik will announce the Master of Public Affairs class of 2019.
Watson Undergraduate Concentration Diploma Ceremonies
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Development Studies
Starr Plaza, Tent
111 Thayer Street
Reception to follow
International Relations
Ittleson Quad, Tent
235 Hope Street
Reception to follow
Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Stephen Robert '62 Hall
280 Brook Street
Reception to follow
Middle East Studies
Joukowsky Forum
111 Thayer Street
Reception to follow
Public Policy
Engineering Research Center, Giancarlo Plaza
345 Brook Street
Learn more about the 2019 Brown University Commencement