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2024 SESSION


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 25
Commending R. McKenna Brown.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 1, 2024

 

WHEREAS, R. McKenna Brown, an expert in Maya culture and language who expanded opportunities for students at Virginia Commonwealth University by establishing the School of World Studies and other engaging programs, retired in 2023 after nearly three decades of exceptional service; and

WHEREAS, having previously taught at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, McKenna Brown joined the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University as an associate professor in the foreign language department in 1995; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, McKenna Brown created an international studies major that was inspired by his own transformative experiences of linguistic and cultural immersion while serving as a member of the Peace Corps in Ecuador; and

WHEREAS, the international studies major was extremely popular and led to the creation in 2003 of the School of World Studies, with McKenna Brown as its founding director; the school is now part of the College of Humanities and Sciences and offers degrees in foreign languages, international studies, religious studies, and anthropology, as well as a certificate program in Spanish-English Translation and Interpretation; and

WHEREAS, through the School of World Studies, McKenna Brown oversaw the expansion of language courses to include Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, and Zulu and hosted public events on world affairs with distinguished speakers like the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Hans Blix, and the Nobel Prize-winning former president of Costa Rica, Óscar Arias Sánchez; and

WHEREAS, McKenna Brown subsequently led what is now Virginia Commonwealth University’s Global Education Office, where he developed strong international partnerships and encouraged faculty development through travel abroad; and

WHEREAS, over the course of his career, McKenna Brown taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, including every level of Spanish language course and multiple topics on Latin America; he specialized in the history and culture of the Maya and often invited Maya scholars, writers, and poets to enrich his classes; and

WHEREAS, McKenna Brown has been a trusted friend and mentor to many of his colleagues at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he has touched the lives of countless students through his commitment to academic excellence, professionalism, and advocacy; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That R. McKenna Brown hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement from Virginia Commonwealth University; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to R. McKenna Brown as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s admiration for his achievements in service to Virginia Commonwealth University and its students.