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The Brown Fellows Program was established by the James

Graham Brown Foundation to build leadership capability

and to invest in the intellectual capital of the Commonwealth

of Kentucky. Brown Fellows is an individualized

development program that provides a diverse group of

students the opportunity to build leadership skills through

academic enrichment, expanded opportunity, and personal

accountability.

The Brown Fellows Program strives to create a network

of higher education opportunities that will challenge

even the brightest and most intellectually curious minds.

Our goal is to ensure the intellectual and leadership

journey of a Brown Fellow rivals the academic

experience of anyone else in the world.

The image above: Brown Fellows, class mentors, and

program staff are shown in front of Laurel House, on

the campus of Pine Mountain Settlement School.

2014 Annual Report

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT. EXPANDED OPPORTUNITY. PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.

Contents

Introduction & Mission………….… 1

Program Organization……………... 2

Selection of the Class of 2018 …….. 3

Summer Enrichment…………….…. 4

Program Activities…………………. 4

Contact Information………………... 6

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Program Organization

Partnerships with the University of Louisville and

Centre College One defining element of the Brown Fellows Program has

been its unique structure: one program on two campuses—

one public and one private. The Trustees of the James

Graham Brown Foundation selected the University of

Louisville and Centre College to serve as Institutional

Partners. The Program is at full capacity with 80 Brown

Fellows, 40 on each campus.

The Foundation established expectations of both UofL and

Centre as Brown Fellows Program Institutional Partners

through formal agreements and extensive operating

procedures. Each Institutional Partner utilizes its faculty,

staff, and administrators to achieve the stated goals of the

Brown Fellows Program. The Foundation provides the gap

funding necessary to cover full tuition expenses, room and

board and associated fees. A new Executive Committee

comprised of representatives from the Foundation and each

Institutional Partner was established in 2013 to oversee the

efficient operation of the Program.

A Program Coordinator, located on each campus, is

supported by two or more faculty or staff members who

serve as Class Mentors. These mentors work directly with

each individual Fellow to support his or her course of study

and intended summer Enrichment Project. Together, with

the Program Coordinator, the Class Mentors ensure each

Fellow has consistent and expert academic mentoring advice

throughout the baccalaureate Program.

Program Innovations - 2014 The 2013-14 academic year marked an exciting new

direction for the Brown Fellows in the form of a newly

structured program. LeaderShape, a week-long curriculum

that encourages self-discovery and teamwork, became the

pre-enrollment experience for the Fellows. This provided

the opportunity for first-year students from both campuses

to bond over challenges and discoveries of each other’s

strengths and talents. Both institutions agree LeaderShape is

an excellent first experience the Brown Fellows have as a

cohort. “LeaderShape is a bonding experience for the group.

It provides the ideal opportunity for young people to

discover their capacity, explore what they want to

accomplish, and to identify the knowledge, skills, and

resources they need to achieve those goals,” said Brown

Fellows Mentor Beau Weston. “I’m glad for the

restructuring of the summer activities because LeaderShape

really is the perfect kick-off experience for new Fellows.”

The institutions have established a credit-bearing academic

course. Class mentors on each campus will serve as the

principle instructors for the course. Brown Fellows shall be

enrolled in three successive year-long classes starting in the

first year and continuing through their junior year. The

curriculum of the first year class will emphasize preparation

for the Fellows’ international travel experience the

following summer. The second and third year course will

focus on helping the Fellows design their independent

enrichment projects. All classes will include curriculum for

the Kentucky Connection component of the

program. Mentors are encouraged to continue meeting with

their class of Brown Fellows throughout their fourth and

final year on campus.

The international experience was moved to the summer

bridging the first and second years of school. This move

allows the students to use the college-level critical thinking

skills developed during their first year of college to better

analyze their cultural immersion experience. From July 25

to August 8, 2014, the rising sophomore Brown Fellows

from both Centre and UofL studied abroad at Centre’s

facilities in Strasbourg, France. The Fellows benefited from

Centre’s rich connections that are well-established in this

city on the border of Germany and France. The direction of

Dr. Lori Hartmann-Mahmud, who has extensive experience

leading study abroad programs in Strasbourg, further

enhanced the trip. The academic quality of the shared

international experience was elevated due to the instructor’s

existing knowledge of the historical, cultural, and political

importance of Strasbourg.

The Kentucky Connections component of the program

continues to expand and provide the Fellows with a holistic

view of the cultural, natural, economic, and political

structure of Kentucky. This allows them to deepen their

knowledge of the state and to grow as ambassadors for the

Commonwealth. This year, scholars from Centre and UofL

provided the learning content for the Kentucky Connections

experience. This lessened the burden to the on-location staff

and added rigor to the academic content.

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Selection of the Class of 2018

Marketing Centre has added a two-page “Centre’s Premier

Scholarships” spread to the Viewbook located on the

Admissions tab of their website

http://www.centre.edu/viewbook-14-15/#44. This spread

includes a description of the program as well as a full page

photo and quote from a Brown Fellow, Class of 2017. Centre

has added a prominent “Brown Fellows Program” button to

the website homepage. The button leads to this page

http://www.centre.edu/admission-aid/cost-

aid/scholarships/brown-fellows-program/ which outlines

highlights of the programs and links to a page describing the

program in detail. UofL has a Brown Fellows page on the

Admissions website:

http://louisville.edu/admissions/aid/scholarships/jgbf. The

information is updated annually and links to the Brown

Fellows website www.brownfellows.org.

The 2018 Class of Brown Fellows

Selection If someone applies for admission online and enters a

qualifying ACT (31+) and GPA (3.5+), they receive an

automated email encouraging them to apply for the Brown

Fellows Program. The BFP is also highlighted at several

recruiting events during the year such as Accolade,

President’s Outreach, Yarmuth Awards Dinner, football

games, and campus visits.

Over 200 students applied to be part of the 2018 class of

Brown Fellows at the University of Louisville. Thirty-two

finalists were chosen to participate in a two-day

interview/selection process at the Brown & Williamson

Club of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on March 21-22. At

Centre, an equally impressive applicant pool of over 250

candidates led to forty-five attendees to their campus

interview/selection weekend on March 14-15.

Accepting the Fellowship May 1st was the response deadline for students who were

invited to join the 2018 class of Brown Fellows.

Bridget Thesing

University of

Louisville

Berea, KY

Devin Hayes

Centre College

Bowling Green,

KY

Cate Heine

Centre College

Louisville, KY

Emily Longnecker

University of

Louisville

New Albany, IN

Eric Elder

University of

Louisville

Louisville, KY

Adrienne Michael

University of

Louisville

Nevada City, CA

Christopher Bird

University of

Louisville

Louisville, KY

Cesar Garcia

Centre College

Lexington, KY

Amaryst Parks

Centre College

Florence, AL

Ajit Deshpande

University of

Louisville

LaGrange, KY

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In order to accept the Fellowship, students completed and

returned the Brown Fellows Program Letter of Acceptance

and Terms of Agreement.

Among other stipulations, this document requires that

students agree to take part in both on- and off-campus

activities. These activities include engaging in summer

Enrichment Projects funded by the Program, participation in

the international group trip, and maintaining the grades and

course load required of all scholarship recipients at the

College/University. The Brown Fellows class of 2018 boasts

an impressive high school academic record and average

ACT score of 33.

Summer Enrichment

Fellows worked closely with Class Mentors during the

academic year to develop summer Enrichment Projects. The

Enrichment Project is an opportunity for each Brown Fellow

to engage in individual activities which may take the form

of research, leadership development, and/or civic

engagement during the summers following his or her second

and third years of college.

The Brown Fellows Program provides up to $5,000 per

student to fund their summer Enrichment Project. Each

Fellow must submit an Enrichment Project Request for

and/or international leadership perspective beyond the It is

expected that Enrichment Projects will provide each Brown

Fellow with a national classroom setting and beyond what is

normally provided for student enrichment. Funds detailing

how the proposal meets the criteria and provide a

comprehensive budget in order to obtain this funding. For

more information about the Enrichment Projects undertaken

during summer 2014, please see the information on

Symposium presentations.

Program Activities

Senior Appreciation Dinner On April 14, 2014, the Brown Foundation hosted a dinner

at the Gheens Foundation Lodge for the graduating seniors

from both Centre and the UofL. Parents, mentors, program

directors, and members of the Brown Foundation’s Board

of Directors gathered for this celebration.

Evin Gandy

University of

Louisville

Louisville, KY

Katherine O’Nan

University of

Louisville

Ashland, KY

Jordan Hale

Centre College

Marietta, GA

Trevor Wrobleski

Centre College

Georgetown, KY

Tasneem Karim

University of

Louisville

Louisville, KY

Noah Martin

Centre College

Spartanburg, SC

Max Addington

Centre College

Ashland, KY

Nicholas Zalla

University of

Louisville

Edgewood, KY

Rachel Bischoff

Centre College

Prospect, KY

Siera Hanks

Centre College

Louisville, KY

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The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the students’

accomplishments and also for the Fellows to express their

gratitude to the Brown Foundation for this transformative

program. Stephan Metcalf of Centre and Ryan Moran of

UofL were elected by their peers to lead a PowerPoint

presentation (during which each student had the opportunity

to speak) summarizing the cohorts’ milestones individually

and as a group. The Foundation further honored each Fellow

with a gift and announced their induction into the Honorable

Order of Kentucky Colonels.

Summer induction for first year Fellows The newest cohort of Brown Fellows from Centre and UofL

came together on Centre’s campus for the first time on June

19, 2014 for LeaderShape. This powerful program provided

an opportunity for Dr. Stephanie Dew, mentor to Centre’s

newest group of Brown Fellows, to observe the students she

will work closely with over the next four years. “I think that

these students are, as is typical of Brown Fellows, really

excellent students who will be an asset to the program and

the college....I really look forward to helping them develop

their enrichment projects for the summers,” said Dew.

Bonds were forged between the new Fellows and

friendships were initiated with students who are already in

the Brown Fellows program. About nine Brown Fellows

from the rising sophomore, junior, and senior classes

attended a luncheon celebration at the end of LeaderShape.

Having interaction among the cohorts has been successful in

terms of building camaraderie among the Fellows and

helping new Brown Fellows get a sense of the supportive

environment they are entering.

The twenty new Fellows then traveled to Louisville for

Service Week ready for volunteering at direct service

nonprofits in the Louisville area. Mixed groups of Centre

and UofL Fellows gave their time at Habitat for Humanity,

Boys and Girls Club of Kentuckiana, WaterStep (which

strives to bring clean water solutions to developing

countries), and the West End School (which empowers at-

risk youth to achieve academic success). Service Week

ended with a shared dinner among the Fellows, program

representatives, and elder Brown Fellows who were in the

Louisville area.

Kentucky Connection The spring event for all the Brown Fellows was a trip to the

Kentucky State Capital on February 22, 2014. While in

Frankfort, the Fellows met with Executive Assistant to the

Governor, Colmon Elridge, in the capitol rotunda, toured the

Kentucky Historical Society, and visited the Old Frankfort

Cemetery. The day ended with a fabulous meal at the Holly

Hill Inn in Midway. The goal of this Kentucky Connections

excursion was to help the Fellows form an association with

the state capital and its historical constructs.

The fall event took place over the weekend of September 19-

21, 2014. The Brown Fellows traveled to Harlan and Letcher

Counties, where they learned about the past, present, and

future of Appalachian Eastern Kentucky. They stayed two

nights at Pine Mountain Settlement School engaging in

activities with local instructors and BFP staff to learn about

Appalachian history, culture, and natural resources. The

Fellows also traveled to Benham and Lynch, to hear from a

retired coal miner and tour a former coal mine. In

Whitesburg, a panel of community leaders provided

perspective at Appalshop. Students later examined the

implications of the coal industry on the back roads of Letcher

County. The goal of the trip was to expand the Fellows’

perspectives on this often stereotyped region of Kentucky, in

accordance with James Graham Brown’s vision for

improving the image and conditions of Kentucky.

Brown Fellows, mentors and program staff shown above

with Executive Assistant to the Governor, Colmon Elridge,

on the marble staircase at the Kentucky State Capitol.

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Fifth Annual Symposium On Saturday, October 11, all four classes of Brown Fellows

gathered with Program staff and Foundation representatives

at Centre College for the fifth annual Brown Fellows

Program Symposium. The purpose of the Symposium was

threefold:

To highlight Enrichment Projects of excellence that

will serve as the Program standard and encourage all

Fellows to consider ways to enhance future projects.

To assist Fellows in identifying opportunities for

future Enrichment Projects by exposing them to one

another’s undertakings and insights.

To reflect the Fellows’ diverse array of talents and

interests.

To this end, four Fellows were selected to formally present

their unique summer Enrichment Projects. All sophomores,

juniors and seniors prepared and displayed a formal

academic poster outlining the purpose and outcomes of their

enrichment projects. In addition, Dr. Stephanie Fabritius,

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Centre

College, made opening remarks.

Over the years, the majority of Brown Fellows have hailed

from Kentucky; however, the Program has also included 39

students from other states, two students from China and one

American student who grew up in Germany. See the map

below for more information on where the students are from.

Symposium Presentations

Katie Roland, Centre College, Class of 2015

Systematics, Population Genetics and

Conservation: Perspectives on Botany

Caleb Sheehan, UofL, Class of 2015

American Makers: Quantifying the Maker

Movement in 2014

Michael Frankart, UofL, Class of 2016

Community Enhancement in Costa Rica

Jeannie Corbitt, Centre College, Class of 2016

When Truths Collide: Ways of Approaching the

Religious Other