The Watson School of International and Public Affairs launch event

About the event

Join President Christina H. Paxson and inaugural Dean John N. Friedman for an event celebrating the launch of The Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs, Brown’s new policy school. This milestone underscores Brown’s ongoing commitment to education, research and fostering a deeper understanding of complex global issues.

The event will begin with remarks by President Paxson and Dean John N. Friedman, followed by a keynote by retired U.S. Army General Mark Milley, 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2019-2023), who will then join Friedman in a conversation on the complexities of global security and America's place in the world.

Afterward, community members are invited to attend a reception with light refreshments.

About the speaker

General Mark A. Milley most recently served as the 20th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the president, secretary of defense and National Security Council, retiring in September 2023. Previously, he served as the 39th chief of staff of the U.S. Army.

A native of Massachusetts, Milley has a bachelor's degree in political science from Princeton University, where he received his commission from Army ROTC, a master's in international relations from Columbia University and a master’s in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College.

He is currently a distinguished fellow in residence with the Security Studies Program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and a Charles and Marie Robertson visiting professor and visiting lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.