Richard Barker to Head New Financial Aid Initiative
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He has already created a Brown Annual Fund Scholarship and endowed the Northern California National Scholarship, the Barker Family National Scholarship, a Chancellor’s Scholarship, and a President’s Scholarship. Now, as the new chair for the enhanced undergraduate financial aid initiative, Richard Barker ’57, P’03, P’05 is charged with spearheading the effort to increase endowment giving in this area to $400 million by December 31, 2010. The initiative will help low- and middle-income students attend Brown without the burden of oppressive loans and is critical in sustaining need-blind admission.
It’s an area in which he has strong feelings. “I didn’t come from much means, and I always had to work, but my family was able to make a down payment on my college education,” says Barker. “For a lot of people, that’s simply not the case. I believe that if someone decides that Brown is the place for them and Brown agrees, then money shouldn’t stand in the way.”
Barker has been supporting the University in myriad capacities for more than 50 years: two-term trustee, donor, campaign vice chair, overseer of the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown Sports Foundation board member and much, much more. His giving spans 85 discrete categories ranging from the Brown Annual Fund to undergraduate research. His awards – the Brown Bear Alumni Award for outstanding volunteer commitment (2000), the Sports Foundation Joukowsky Award for Distinguished Service (2003), chief Alumni Marshall (2007) – are equally impressive. In addition, Barker, retired Chairman of Capital Guardian Trust and Vice Chairman of Capital Group International, has recently been named chair of the board of the San Francisco Ballet.
Funding financial aid, however, is closest to his heart: “It’s important that Brown continue to be an economically and culturally diverse institution,” says Barker. “That can’t happen without making significant financial aid available. This initiative makes it possible for young people of talent to get a first-class education and gives all those who believe in need-blind admissions an opportunity to invest in the future of Brown. Just having a hand in that is a great feeling.”
