Overview

• The university formalized staff reductions totaling 48 layoffs and the elimination of 55 unfilled roles as part of its FY2026 cost plan targeting about $30 million.
• Leaders cited expected declines in federal research support and potential changes to indirect cost reimbursements as key pressures on the budget.
• A reported $50 million commitment to Rhode Island workforce programs coincided with the restoration of federal research grants previously suspended over campus climate concerns.
• Brown’s AAUP chapter condemned the agreement as occurring outside normal legal channels and warned that elements of the deal threaten academic freedom.
• Additional savings steps include consolidating to a single health plan, monetizing real estate, pausing net‑zero investments, and cutting IT and facilities spending, while court rulings blocking a proposed cap on overhead eased earlier projections that exceeded $100 million.