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Letter just received by alums from Pres. Ruth Simmons:


Dear members of the Brown Community,

I write you with extraordinary news. Sidney E. Frank '42 has made a
gift to the University in the amount of $100 million, the single
largest gift in Brown's history. This gift establishes the Sidney E.
Frank Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for
Brown undergraduate students whose family income is in the range of
$30,000 or less per year. This endowed fund will transform the lives
of many generations of Brown students, allowing them to pursue their
academic interests freely, regardless of their financial
circumstances. Mr. Frank?s gift of $100 million comes on the heels of
another gift that he recently made to Brown. In June, Mr. Frank
donated $20 million to the University to provide for the construction
on campus of a new academic building, to be called the Sidney E. Frank
Hall.

Needless to say, Mr. Frank's generosity presents an enormous
opportunity for Brown. The Plan for Academic Enrichment set
undergraduate financial aid among its highest priorities. The
establishment of need-blind admission and the elimination of work-
study for first-year students were important first steps in
significantly improving access to a Brown education for more students
and their families. The Sidney E. Frank Endowed Scholarship Fund will
now enhance our financial aid program at a greater pace than we
originally envisioned.

Mr. Frank wanted especially to encourage the matriculation of the
neediest students. He chose to fund scholarships that would eliminate
the necessity for those students and their families to borrow funds to
finance a Brown education. Beginning with incoming first-year students
in the class of 2009, the Sidney E. Frank Endowed Scholarship Fund
will enable the University to meet students' demonstrated need by
eliminating the loan portion of these students' financial aid and
replacing it with scholarship funds. The Fund will provide more than
$35,000 in scholarship support for most of these students. While these
students will still require a family contribution and work study
expectation, they will have no loans and the remainder of the cost of
their tuition, room and board and fees will be met by a combination of
eligible federal grants and the Frank Scholarship. We expect that,
within about four years, a total of approximately 128 students across
all four undergraduate classes will be named Sidney E. Frank Scholars.

In making this gift, Mr. Frank said: "I know from my own experience
what a difference Brown can make in a young person's life. I've wanted
to help more students find what I found ? especially students who
figured Brown was out of reach financially. Creating this scholarship
fund seemed the best way to do that. It's something I've wanted to do
for a long time." In so doing, Mr. Frank has made a lasting and
magnanimous contribution to Brown University.

By Twiggy (Twiggy) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 07:05 am: Edit

That's pretty hot. I'm liking Brown more and more.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 03:17 pm: Edit

"I write you with extraordinary news. Sidney E. Frank '42 has made a
gift to the University in the amount of $100 million, the single
largest gift in Brown's history. This gift establishes the Sidney E.
Frank Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for
Brown undergraduate students whose family income is in the range of
$30,000 or less per year."

Now if only Yale would do that...

By Songman (Songman) on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 07:08 pm: Edit

Candi you said:Now if only Yale would do that...
It appears that it is Mr. Frank that did that not Brown. In other words his money came with strings attached. Still you can all yell at me ,but again helping the neediest and not the middle class will become a major social problem some day in my opinion. However, Mr. Frank has a right to exclude others from receiving his funds ,but I do not believe that a college has the same right as they receive taxpayer funding. See I will never get off this topic.

Also does anyone care that he made his fortune from selling liquor? Funny how college's watch where they invest their endowments (e.g. no liquor, tobacco,Enron type companies etc.) Brown had no problem in taking liquor profits from Mr. Frank though! My rant for the day! Thank you very much!

By Dcircle (Dcircle) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 12:19 am: Edit

what's wrong with selling liquor? besides the fact that it is legal (prohibition ended) and responsibly enjoyed by countless people of course.

and anyway, the guy couldn't afford to finish college and wanted to make sure that kids that want to go to the place where he got his start never have to worry about that again. so he laid down the single largest donation for educational financial aid in U.S. history. it would have been unresponsible of brown (and elitist) not to accept it. for the first time ever, social status will have nothing to do with your admission to brown. it's progressive, admirable, and i applaud it.

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 12:41 pm: Edit

"Still you can all yell at me ,but again helping the neediest and not the middle class will become a major social problem some day in my opinion."

I think it's a major problem that kids that live two blocks from me beg for food money on the Grand Concourse. As long as no one is starving to go to college, I think we're in pretty good shape. There are actually things more important than going to expensive private colleges. Just a thought.

No one is "re-distributing" wealth. Considering this job market, a lot of college grads are unable to move out their parents' homes, especially in NYC with the ridiculously high cost of living. Going to an elite college doesn't magically vault you from rags to riches. So it is entirely likely that after four years of beautiful vaulted ceilings and buffet-style dining that I will go back to sharing the bed with my Mom in our rat-infested Section-8 apartment. Lucky me!

(Disclaimer: Post isn't as bitter as it sounds, but rather sarcastic. I actually don't mind where I live.)

By Songman (Songman) on Monday, September 20, 2004 - 12:56 pm: Edit

candisaid: "There are actually things more important than going to expensive private colleges."

I guess you felt it was important, no?

By Candi1657 (Candi1657) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 12:16 pm: Edit

Yes, for me, one particular expensive private college was important. Luckily, however, I have the perpective to realize that there are plenty of things much more important.

And believe me, it hasn't been all roses since I've gotten here. Read my thread "Medical Insurance and College" in the Parents' forum. There I would advise people from my income bracket to not go to expensive colleges unless they have an strong, un-dying passion for a particular school. There are way too many unseen, financial hurdles.

By Iiquidblue (Iiquidblue) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 10:09 pm: Edit

This is very good, as my family income is less than $30K.

It also sucks, though, that I think this will spur many more applicants for the class of 2009. More competition in the applicant pool is the last thing I want...

By Starryeyedgirl (Starryeyedgirl) on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 - 11:40 pm: Edit

i agree with all of the above liquidblue, i'm in the same boat lol

By Burutzagiuribe (Burutzagiuribe) on Saturday, September 25, 2004 - 06:33 pm: Edit

Songman, I think it's time for you to get your head out of yr *ss and stop complaining about stupid, stupid things. A gift that makes college signifcantly cheaper for poor students is ONLY a good thing. It helps them, it increases the endowment, it frees up additional resources, and the school benefits as a whole.

To say that Brown had nothing to do with the gift is a huge misnomer: President Simmons spent two or three years coaxing the money out of Sidney Frank, and she SPECIFICALLY has worked across the board to give some advantages to poor students like myself.

Quit your bashing, it's just moronical, and to the others, I hope you get in.

By Songman (Songman) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 01:48 pm: Edit

Hey Buru- you said: To say that Brown had nothing to do with the gift is a huge misnomer: President Simmons spent two or three years coaxing the money out of Sidney Frank, and she SPECIFICALLY has worked across the board to give some advantages to poor students like myself.

Your opinion.You have got yours and I have mine. Plus it is unnecessary to use crude language. My bashing is moronical to you as it benefits you.Think on that for awhile.

Someday,when you have long graduated from college and you are working for a living I will be curious to see if your logic will be the same regarding the hypocrisy that exists in colleges. That logic being: "we can't invest in liquor businesses but we can take money from a liquor businessman" HMmmmmmmmmm. Again Sidney Frank had every right to do whatever he desired with his money. If he decided instead to give scholarships, no strings attached, to any students whose family earned between $50,000 and 250,000 a year, you would have said that is unfair. I learned a long time ago from a NYU professor who taught a class in "the art of negotiation" that one should always ask this basic question when there are roadblocks in negotiation. "whom does it benefit?" Therein one will find the answer.

By Dcircle (Dcircle) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 04:56 pm: Edit

"I learned a long time ago from a NYU professor who taught a class in "the art of negotiation" that one should always ask this basic question when there are roadblocks in negotiation. "whom does it benefit?" Therein one will find the answer."


eh, i don't get it. the answer being 128 students who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to go to a private university?

By Songman (Songman) on Friday, October 01, 2004 - 09:54 pm: Edit

I officially give up. No one sees the hypocrisy to a university prohibiting investments in liquor related companies, but they are happy (and even pursue donations according to another poster)to take money from someone who made it by selling liquor. That was the point. But I see it is falling on deaf ears...so goodbye!