Brown University was founded in 1764, the seventh college in the U.S., and now enrolls 7000 undergraduates and 1650 graduate and medical students. This "university college" model combines the advantages of a smallIvy League college, such as faculty accessibilityand a lively atmosphere, with the resources of a number of world-class graduate programs. These include the programs in Neuroscience, Psychology, Applied Math, Computer Science, and Biology, and a Medical School recently ranked first in the nation in family medicine. The undergraduate program is distinguished by its flexible New Curriculum.

Brown also offers an active cultural and lecture program, including the resident Charleston String Quartet, the multi-cultural dance troupe, the programs of the Sarah Doyle Women's Center, art exhibits at the Bell Gallery, an electronic music series, a film society, and numerous plays, concerts, and lectures. Brown's close proximity to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) also contributes to a high, and eclectic, level of cultural sophistication. New athletic facilities are outstanding and accessible. The 133-acre campus has a classic ivy-and-brick architecture organized around secluded quads, making it a very pleasant place to work.

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Brown is located on Providence's historic East Side, surrounded by the largest preserve of colonial-era architecture in the country. Founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a heretic exiled from Puritan Massachusetts, the city and state have a history of religious and political tolerance with a seafaring, textile mill, and industrial base. This tolerance led to the founding of the first Jewish synagogue (in Newport) and the founding of the first Baptist church in America, as well as large Quaker and Catholic populations, and generations of immigrants. Today Providence is the second-largest city in New England (population 160,000), located 1 hour from Boston, and 3 hours from New York with intact ethnic communities, non-yuppie local color, and good cheap restaurants.

Providence has been undergoing a renaissance in the last ten years and provides many of the advantages of the East Coast but with a moderate cost of living. A 1-BR apartment within walking distance of campus currently rents for around $650 a month, a 2-BR for $900, and group houses for $300 per person; rooms are also available in Miller Hall.

The main drag near campus is Thayer Street, with an array of cafes, shops, bookstores, and an independent film house. A short walk to Wickenden St. reveals a resurgence of coffeehouses, galleries, a renovated waterfront, and great pizza. A trip up to Federal Hill offers superb dining and a touch of classic New England.

Providence also boasts a lively rock and blues club scene, the acclaimed Trinity Repertory Theater, concerts and theater at the Providence Performing Arts Center (a restored and re-gilded Deco-era movie palace), several museums, most notably, a superb art museum at the Rhode Island School of Design, the indefatigable Pawtucket Red Sox, an outstanding zoo, and the Providence Waterfires - a city wide street festival on summer evenings. The Providence Journal and AS220 offer insights into Providence's thriving Arts and Culture Scene.

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Rhode Island, the "biggest little state in the union," can also be enjoyed forits idiosyncrasies, including outstanding roadside vernacular,byways lost in the 1920's and 1720's and entertaining local politics. Rhode Island offers wonderful outdoor activities including biking, sailing, and a large array of public parks. Historic Newport, and the famous Rhode Island beaches, are less than 45 min away.

Boston, Cape Cod, and Block Island are each only an hour away, and ski areas in Vermont and New Hampshire 2-3 hours.

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