Newton Resident Named President of Mount Ida College

A longtime Garden City resident has been named as the eighth president of  in Newton.

Barry Brown, provost and professor at Suffolk University, will officially step into his new role at Mount Ida on July 1.

According to a press release issued by Mount Ida, Brown was named president following a unanimous vote by the Mount Ida Board of Trustees on Feb. 21. He will replace current president Dr. Lance Carluccio, who has served in the position since January 2011 and plans to retire at the end of June.

“I look forward to becoming a part of this century old institution and together with faculty, students, alumni and friends of Mount Ida College begin our work together to achieve the career goals of each of our students,” Brown said in a press release.

In addition to his experience as provost, Brown has previously served as Suffolk's acting president and has a university teaching career of more than 35 years, the press release said. He has taught courses in real estate, biomedical law, public policy and professional responsibility. 

Brown also worked as assistant bar counsel for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and is published on a number of topics ranging from biomedical law to real estate. 

“We are delighted and honored Barry will lead Mount Ida College. Throughout his career as a professor, Provost and Acting President, Barry has helped students from all backgrounds achieve success in higher education and in their chosen careers," said Michael Burns, chair of the Mount Ida Board of Trustees. "We know he will bring that energy to Mount Ida and build upon our potential as a New England college which combines the best attributes of a supportive, small campus with the benefits of the vibrant Boston community environment to lead students from potential to achievement.”

According to the press release, Brown has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College, a Master of Education degree from Harvard School of Education and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

A full copy of the Mount Ida press release is included below:

Newton, MA – Mount Ida College is pleased to announce that Barry Brown, Provost, Professor and former Acting President of Suffolk University, has been named the eighth President of Mount Ida College, effective July 1, 2012.

Mount Ida College is a small, private, co-educational undergraduate and graduate institution located in Newton, Massachusetts that offers its approximately 1,400 full- and part-time students a strong liberal arts and career-focused education.

Experience and Leadership for the Future

Michael Burns, Chair of the Mount Ida Board of Trustees welcomed Professor Brown, “We are delighted and honored Barry will lead Mount Ida College. Throughout his career as a professor, Provost and Acting President, Barry has helped students from all backgrounds achieve success in higher education and in their chosen careers. We know he will bring that energy to Mount Ida and build upon our potential as a New England college which combines the best attributes of a supportive, small campus with the benefits of the vibrant Boston community environment to lead students from potential to achievement.”

Barry Brown stated, “I’m thrilled to be joining Mount Ida College, an institution dedicated to providing students with a strong liberal arts and career-focused education to achieve their career goals. This is an exciting moment in American higher education. There is no better college to seize the opportunity to provide college age students from all backgrounds and circumstances with the tools to succeed as educated men and women. I share Mount Ida’s mission and believe there is a strong need for institutions to deliver a challenging education with small classes, close contact with faculty and a reasonable tuition structure.

“I look forward to becoming a part of this century old institution and together with faculty, students, alumni and friends of Mount Ida College begin our work together to achieve the career goals of each of our students,” Brown added.

Academic Leader

Barry Brown was appointed Provost of Suffolk University in 2008 and assumed the combined role of Acting President and Provost in 2010. These appointments followed a university teaching career of over 35 years in which he has taught courses in Real Estate, Biomedical Law and Public Policy and Professional Responsibility.

In his role as Acting President, he successfully undertook a major refinancing and restructuring of Suffolk University’s $300 million budget, and established a department for acquiring and managing federal grants and community action programs such as Upward Bound and the McNair Scholarship.

In the public sector, Brown held the post of Assistant Bar Counsel for the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court when that agency was founded in 1974 and served as prosecutor in a number of important cases related to the conduct of lawyers, including the reinstatement of Alger Hiss. Professor Brown is widely published on topics ranging from biomedical law to real estate and condominium law. He is one of the first to write concerning property issues in genetic materials appearing in national journals, such as the Stanford Journal of Law and Public Policy. He is the founder of Suffolk University’s Concentration in Health and Biomedical Law and the Suffolk Journal of Health and Biomedical Law.

In the private sector, he was associated with the national firm of Holland & Knight as Senior Counsel.

Brown holds an A.B. from Harvard College, and Ed.M. from Harvard School of Education and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

“Proven Leader”

“Congratulations to Mount Ida College for choosing as its next president Barry Brown, a proven leader who cares deeply about education. Barry has served Suffolk University as law professor, provost and acting president, and in each of these roles he was always highly cognizant of educating students, advancing the institution and ensuring the vigor of our academic programs. We at Suffolk University thank him for his service and wish him well in his new endeavor,” stated James McCarthy, President, Suffolk University.

Andrew C. Meyer, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Suffolk University, commented, “We are grateful to Barry Brown for his tireless efforts on behalf of Suffolk University over more than three decades of teaching and academic leadership. Mount Ida College has chosen a dedicated and forward looking leader who works hard to make sure that students receive a high-quality education. We are proud to see Barry take on this new leadership role at Mount Ida.”

The search for president came to a successful completion with the Board of Trustees’ unanimous vote for Brown on February 21, 2012. Dr. Lance Carluccio, former Vice President of Academic Affairs at Mount Ida College, has served as President since January 2011 and expects to retire at the end of June after a 44-year career in higher education.

Correction: Barry Brown is the fromer acting president of Suffolk University. He currently serves as a provost and professor.