Provost Richard M. Locke, an innovative leader who has played a critical role in strengthening Brown University’s academic excellence and shaping a more vibrant and cohesive community through a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, has been named the next vice president and dean of Apple University.
Locke will step down from his role at Brown at the end of the 2022 calendar year, leaving a distinguished legacy that includes elevating the profile of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, building a foundation to usher in historic fundraising for student scholarships and faculty research, and working with other administrative leaders to double faculty diversity. An internationally respected scholar and authority on international labor relations and worker rights, comparative political economy, and corporate responsibility, Locke was recruited to Brown from MIT in 2013 to serve as the Howard R. Swearer Director of the Watson Institute. On July 1, 2015, he was named Brown’s 13th provost.
Brown President Christina H. Paxson said Locke is an exceptional academic leader whose legacy of collaboration and dedication will leave a lasting impact across the University.
“Even as I am saddened that Brown will lose such an extraordinary academic leader, I recognize that his new role is one that Rick is both extremely enthusiastic about and supremely well-suited to take on,” Paxson said. “Since arriving at Brown to lead the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs in 2013 and assuming the role of provost in July 2015, Rick has made lasting contributions that have helped make Brown stronger across the entire academic enterprise.”
As the University’s chief academic officer, Locke has worked closely with senior deans, faculty and administrative colleagues across the institution, championing Brown’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to research and education to address pressing societal issues, Paxson said.
Serving as provost of Brown has been an extraordinary experience. It has been a distinct privilege to work with an amazing group of senior academic leaders, faculty, staff, students and alumni who are guided by core values and strive for excellence every day.
During Locke’s tenure, Brown has launched or strengthened a number of schools, institutes, centers, initiatives and programs, including the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, the Brown Arts Institute, the Center for Philosophy, Politics and Economics, the Data Science Initiative, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative, the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, and more.
According to Locke, joining Apple as vice president and dean of Apple University provides an opportunity to bring together and apply his scholarship, experience and drive to make a difference in new and innovative ways.
“There is no company in the world that has been more impactful at the intersection of technology and the liberal arts than Apple,” Locke said. “To be able to bring my years of experience, passion and curiosity to support the development of the incredibly talented people at Apple is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Throughout his years at Brown, Locke has sought to advance policies, programs and practices that demonstrate respect for the people who make up the University community. Here, he’s pictured during a 2019 podcast interview Chancellor’s Professor of Africana Studies Tricia Rose. Photo by Nick Dentamaro/Brown University
Working in collaboration with schools, departments and offices across Brown, Locke has played a lead role in successfully stewarding operational plans for Building on Distinction, the University’s strategic plan. This includes collaborating on the development of Brown’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and the funding goals for the successful BrownTogether comprehensive fundraising campaign. He also continues to guide the development of the University’s ambitious plan to double research over the next decade.
As chief budget officer, Locke has helped develop a sustainable budget model and played a role in capital planning to support the preservation, renewal and expansion of facilities essential for teaching, research and campus life.
“With thoughtful plans and clear direction, Rick has played an important role in advancing Brown’s excellence, not only across education and research, but also in operations,” Chancellor Samuel M. Mencoff said. “Rick has sought to diversify revenue streams while working with colleagues to develop a budgeting model that ensures that University resources are allocated effectively to advance the University’s mission. This is only one example of the lasting impact Rick has made at Brown.”
While serving as director of the Watson Institute, Locke elevated its profile and impact through strategic growth in faculty, postdoctoral fellows and programming. He played a pivotal role in strengthening the institute as a hub for exceptional scholarship and intellectual discourse to inform and effect policy debate and change.
Since arriving at Brown to lead the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs in 2013 and assuming the role of provost in July 2015, Rick has made lasting contributions that have helped make Brown stronger across the entire academic enterprise.
Both at Watson and in his position as provost, Locke established a commitment to rigor in building systems and structures to elevate academic standards. As provost, Locke guided a reinvigorated external review process of Brown’s academic departments, centers, schools and institutes, which have led to crucial investments and strategic interventions to bolster excellence.
Throughout his years at Brown, Locke has sought to advance policies, programs and practices that demonstrate respect for the people who make up the University community. This includes collaborating with students, staff and faculty to shepherd the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) and undocumented student initiative; engaging with colleagues across the University to bring students and scholars displaced by war or natural disasters to Brown to continue on their educational paths and contribute to their fields; supporting students from the full range of economic backgrounds; and helping to spur efforts to grow and diversify the undergraduate and graduate student populations.
Locke also helped the University achieve its ambitious goal set in 2014-2015 of doubling the percentage of faculty from historically underrepresented groups, reaching 16.7% in the most recent 2021-2022 academic year.
“Serving as provost of Brown has been an extraordinary experience,” Locke said. “It has been a distinct privilege to work with an amazing group of senior academic leaders, faculty, staff, students and alumni who are guided by core values and strive for excellence every day. I’m very proud of all that we’ve accomplished, and grateful for the chance to work with President Chris Paxson to advance the education and research mission of Brown.”
While serving as director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Locke elevated its profile and impact through strategic growth in faculty, postdoctoral fellows and programming. Here, he’s pictured at a Watson lecture in 2017. Photo by Nick Dentamaro/Brown University
Locke was recruited to Brown from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2013 to serve as the Howard R. Swearer Director of the Watson Institute, becoming Brown University’s 13th provost on July 1, 2015.
An active scholar, teacher and mentor, Locke is the Schreiber Family Professor of Political Science and Public and International Affairs at Brown. His most recent research explores the impact of new technologies on the workplace and workforce of the future. He received the American Political Science Association 2018 Dorothy Day Award for Outstanding Labor Research for the article he co-authored, “Does Compliance Pay? Social Standards and Firm-level Trade,” which appeared in the American Journal of Political Science. In 2016, for his ongoing research on fair and safe working conditions in global supply chains, he was awarded an inaugural Progress Medal for Scholarship and Leadership by the Society for Progress.
Prior to his arrival at Brown, Locke was on the faculty at MIT for 25 years where he held the Alvin J. Siteman Chair in Entrepreneurship and later the Class of 1922 Chair in Political Science and Management. Locke pioneered the Global Entrepreneurship Laboratory at MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2000.
Locke earned his bachelor’s degree at Wesleyan University, a master’s in education at the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D. in political science, with a specialty in political economy, at MIT.
Brown will announce steps in the coming weeks for identifying Locke’s successor as provost.
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