Brown University President Christina Paxson said she will step down at the end of the 2026–27 academic year after leading the Ivy League campus since 2012. The Corporation of Brown University’s board chair, Brian Moynihan, said the timing reflects the need for a new leader to oversee a multi-year strategic planning process. The announcement follows a period of political and campus turbulence, including protests over the Israel-Hamas war, a pro-Palestinian encampment, and federal funding freezes and disruptions. Student approval ratings, while high in earlier years, declined sharply in recent semesters, according to polls cited by the board. Brown’s governing board said it will involve the community in the search for its 20th president and will begin planning for the transition as leadership tenure expectations continue to shrink across higher education.