alice lee williams brown
SMALL COLLEGE LEADERSHIP EXPERT & FUNDRAISING CONSULTANT
Fifty Million for Faculty and Students
How Alice Brown built the Appalachian College Association into a fundraising powerhouse.
ABOUT ALICE LEE WILLIAMS BROWN
Alice Lee Williams Brown graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. and M.A. in English and from the University of Kentucky with an Ed.D. in Higher Education. She taught at three different high schools and at Ohio University, Eastern KY University (EKU), and the University of KY (UK) before becoming Director of Conferences and Institutes at UK, a position that led to her being recruited to direct a new program in the UK Appalachian Center—the Appalachian College Program (ACP). Initial funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation led to grant awards from the Pew Charitable Trusts, Exxon Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the Bingham Foundation. All grants provided fellowships and travel grants to faculty at small private colleges across central Appalachia.
The ACP was moved to the graduate school and renamed the Faculty Scholars Program shortly before the presidents of the participating colleges (ranging from 34 to 37) created a nonprofit association—the Appalachian College Association (ACA), which absorbed the program at UK. During her 15 years as president of the ACA, she raised almost $50 million from approximately 20 major foundations and federal agencies.
Since leaving the ACA, she has consulted with several small private colleges and a state association of private colleges on strategies for strengthening small private colleges and for raising financial support from foundations and federal agencies. Her consulting is offered through her company AWB & Associates.
KUDOS
"Her early books (with research funded by various foundations and multiple contributors) focus on colleges that are struggling with various issues. They offer case histories with 'insiders themselves who recount the lessons they learned” when exploring mergers, partnerships, and other survival options and their outcomes.'”
California Bookwatch, 5/1/2012).
"In her new book, Fifty Million for Faculty and Students: My Fundraising Years, Brown is at her most straightforward—promoting transparency and careful financial analyses, keeping promises made and admitting mistakes as soon as they are known, and adhering rigorously to the mission of the college or association that was established and funded by those believing in that mission.
“The importance of Brown’s studies stems in large part from the ever-growing need for small colleges to confront realistically their circumstances and to think carefully about their prospects. Brown’s accounts of efforts, often heroic, to contend with ominous signs yield important insights.” William G. Bowen, President Emeritus, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Past President, Princeton University.
"Alice Brown’s memoir is delightful to read, and offers an informed perspective that only she could give. Anyone who knows Alice, and reads this book, will recognize immediately that she writes her memories in the same refreshingly honest way she has expressed herself throughout her career: insightful, unflinching, entertaining, and above all constructive. Her love for the colleges of the Appalachian region shines through every anecdote and reflective. For anyone who cares about our colleges, this is a wonderful memoir."
Paul Conn, Chancellor, Lee University
“Alice Brown’s new study of colleges on the brink of closure provides a fascinating resource for college planners. The book’s case studies of a half dozen such colleges, told from the vantage points of key participants in the decisions that proved most critical, gives texture to our understanding of the ways in which institutional histories actually unfold. The accompanying essays by several informed observers provide a broader context for the case studies. And Alice Brown’s own observations, inferences, and recommendations for the future will be sure to stimulate –and provoke—debate about what should happen as well as what did happen. In a field that is often dominated by jargon, Brown’s clear prose makes for engaging reading.” Richard Ekman, President, Council of Independent Colleges.
“Alice Brown, who was a force of nature in raising money for faculty and students at small colleges in Appalachia, tells a revealing and often entertaining story that show the potential and the pitfalls of such colleges and their leaders. Her memoir is also in many ways an expert’s guide for those who want to raise money from foundations.” Al Cross, Professor and Director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, School of Journalism and Media, University of KY.
"[Cautionary Tales] cannot do justice to the topic of success for our small private colleges, especially when presenting full stories. Brown’s (2011) New Directions for Higher Education edition, Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure, focuses on the successful reinventions of small colleges. While there is some overlap of content, Cautionary Tales provides a more cohesive narrative, and Changing Course describes many more examples of reinvention. Combining the two books offers a more complete picture and further guidance for trustees and administrators."
Review of Higher Education
“Cautionary Tales is a roadmap for organizational health, for spotting and avoiding problems before they become overwhelming, and for becoming sustainable, not just surviving. There is rich material here for all the key players: trustees, presidents, faculty members, and administrative staff on the roles they play and the responsibilities they often share for both the onset of survival threats and for their successful (or unsuccessful) resolution.” Patrick T. Terenzini, Center for the Study of Higher Education, The Pennsylvania State University.
“Brown presents her research on colleges in crisis in 13 chapters, supplemented by the contributions of Susan Whealler Johnston, Michael G. Puglisi, Elizabeth R. Hayford, Richard Kneipper, Robert Zemsky, and Richard R. Johnson…. She made the connections for us so that the text flows between authors. She presents her research on these fragile colleges with compassion and a commitment to improving small college viability.” Karen J. Haley, Assistant Professor of Postsecondary, Adult, and Continuing Education, Portland State University.
“We have much to learn from Alice Brown’s skillfully created case studies and thoughtful reflections.” Bernard R. Gifford, Professor, Division of Education in Mathematics, Science, Technology, & Engineering, and Director, UC Berkeley/CSU Joint Doctoral Program in Leadership for Educational Equity.
“What an excellent story of the rise…of an amazing consortium.” Alice Emerson, President Emerita, Wheaton College, MA.
Honors and Awards
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Distinguished Alumnus, Appalachian State University, 2010
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Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Lindsey Wilson College, 2008
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Honorary Doctor of Education, Ferrum College, 2008
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Women’s Leadership Award, Ferrum College, 2007
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Pioneer Award, Association of Collaborative Leadership, 2007
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Honorary Doctor of Education, Davis & Elkins College, 2006
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Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Union College, 2005
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Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Charleston, 2001
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Honorary Doctor of Education, Alderson-Broaddus College, 2001
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Award for Educational Service to Appalachia, Carson-Newman College, 1995
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Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, Lincoln Memorial University, 1991
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Kentucky State Park Service Award, 1986.
Contact
alice lee williams brown
Reach out to Alice for more information or to ask about her consulting offerings.