Brown University President Christina Paxson announced she will step down in 2027, ending a 15-year tenure that included the COVID-19 period, federal funding disruptions, and student unrest over Israel-Hamas-related divestment demands. Paxson said she intends to depart at the end of the 2026–27 academic year, despite an earlier contract extension that would have carried her through June 2028. Brown’s governing board said it agreed this was the right time to transition to a new president to lead multi-year strategic planning. The Corporation said it will involve the Brown community in the nationwide search for Paxson’s successor. The announcement lands amid wider scrutiny of presidential turnover rates in higher education, where average tenures have shrunk substantially. Student sentiment at Brown appeared mixed over time, with a student poll showing her approval falling sharply by spring 2024 after protests erupted over the Israel-Hamas war and an encampment pushed divestment demands.