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She helped negotiate agreement that included restoring Brown’s federal funds in exchange for ending ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors
Christina Paxson, the president of Brown University, announced plans to step down Monday after negotiating a $50 million deal with the Trump administration over discrimination allegations.
After 15 years, the longest term of any current Ivy League president, Paxson will resign at the end of the upcoming academic year, the New York Times reports.
“This is the right decision for me and my family. And I firmly believe that it is the best path for Brown,” she wrote in an open letter Monday.
Brian Moynihan, the university’s chancellor, said in a statement that he asked Paxson to stay through 2028, but she declined saying she “feels that Brown will soon be ready to begin a new strategic planning process.”
“Her ‘collaborative first’ methodology across all tough issues helped sustain our community during a time of major change and volatility for higher education and for Brown,” he said. “Chris Paxson helped the University evolve and adapt in the many ways that the institution fulfills its core mission of education and research, while also upholding strong principles.”
Moynihan also said the university will begin a national search for a new president.
Paxson weathered a series of difficult and high profile incidents in recent years, including a December shooting that left two dead and nine injured on campus. Three of the injured students are now suing the university alleging security failures.
Additionally, Paxson oversaw negotiations with the Trump administration after it threatened to cut the school’s federal funding due to antisemitism and other discrimination allegations.
She briefly mentioned the $50 million federal deal in her letter Monday.
“In May of 2025, I agreed to extend my service as president past the previous June 2026 end date of my term so that I could help Brown navigate a federal funding freeze that imperiled our mission of research and education,” Paxson wrote.
“I am proud that we came to an agreement with the federal government that restored our funding while staying true to Brown’s values,” she wrote.
However, “Paxson faced substantial campus criticism over the settlement, which some regarded as an act of capitulation to an administration abusing its power,” according to the NY Times.
Along with the fine, Brown agreed to stop offering “gender-affirming care” for minors, protect women’s sports, and combat antisemitism as part of the agreement to restore its federal funding, The College Fix reported previously.
MORE: Brown reaches $50M deal with Trump admin to restore federal funding
