Editing Brandeis University (section)

==History==

===Founding===
[[File:MiddlsexUniversityMASeal.png|thumb|150px|Seal of the former [[Middlesex University (Massachusetts)|Middlesex University]]]]
[[File:Brandeis-Usen Castle.JPG|thumb|[[Usen Castle]], a building on campus|left]]

[[Middlesex University (Massachusetts)|Middlesex University]] was a medical school located in Waltham, Massachusetts, that was at the time the only medical school in Massachusetts that did not impose a [[Jewish quota|quota on Jews]]. The founder, John Hall Smith, died in 1944. Smith's will stipulated that the school should go to any group willing to use it to establish a non-sectarian university.<ref name= spirit>{{cite news |title= 'A School Of The Spirit' Graduates Its First |last= Gardner |first= R. H. |work= The Baltimore Sun |date= May 29, 1952 |page= 14 |id= {{ProQuest|541745484}} }}</ref> Within two years, Middlesex University was on the brink of financial collapse. The school had not been able to secure accreditation by the [[American Medical Association]], which Smith partially attributed to institutional antisemitism in the American Medical Association.<ref name=reisfounding>{{cite web | last= Reis | first= Arthur H. Jr. | title= The Founding | work= Brandeis Review, 50th Anniversary Edition | url= http://www.brandeis.edu/publications/review/50threview/founding.pdf | access-date= May 17, 2006 | pages= 42–43 | quote= Founder's son, C. Ruggles Smith, quoted: "From its inception, Middlesex was ruthlessly attacked by the American Medical Association, which at that time was dedicated to restricting the production of physicians, and to maintaining an inflexible policy of discrimination in the admission of medical students. Middlesex, alone among medical schools, selected its students on the basis of merit, and refused to establish any racial quotas. | archive-date= May 23, 2006 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060523233252/http://www.brandeis.edu/publications/review/50threview/founding.pdf | url-status= live }}</ref>

Smith's son, C. Ruggles Smith, was desperate for a way to save something of Middlesex University. He learned of a New York committee headed by [[Israel Goldstein]] that was seeking a campus to establish a Jewish-sponsored secular university. Smith approached Goldstein with a proposal to give the Middlesex campus and charter to Goldstein's committee, in the hope that his committee might "possess the apparent ability to reestablish the School of Medicine on an approved basis." While Goldstein was concerned about being saddled with a failing medical school, he was excited about the opportunity to secure a {{convert|100|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} "campus not far from New York, the premier Jewish community in the world, and only {{convert|9|mi|km}} from Boston, one of the important Jewish population centers."<ref name="reisfounding"/> Goldstein agreed to accept Smith's offer, proceeding to recruit George Alpert, a Boston lawyer with fundraising experience as national co-chairman of the [[United Jewish Appeal]].<ref>Cushing, Harry (March 30, 1956). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/906346277/ George Alpert... Railroad President] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630215751/https://www.newspapers.com/image/906346277/ |date=June 30, 2023 }}". ''Jewish Telegraphic Agency''. Buffalo Jewish Review. p. 3.</ref>

[[File:Brandeis University sign.jpg|thumb|right|Brandeis University sign]]

Alpert had worked his way through [[Boston University School of Law]] and co-founded the firm of Alpert and Alpert. Alpert's firm had a long association with the [[New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad]], of which he was to become president from 1956 to 1961.<ref name=alpert-obit>{{cite news |title= George Alpert, 90; was a Founder and First Chairman of Brandeis |work= The Boston Globe |date= September 13, 1988 |page= 82 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Lyall |first= Sarah |title= George Alpert, 90, Ex-President Of New Haven Line and a Lawyer |work= The New York Times |date= September 13, 1988 |page= D26 }}</ref> Alpert was chairman of Brandeis from 1946 to 1954, and a trustee from 1946 until his death.<ref name="alpert-obit"/> By February 5, 1946, Goldstein had recruited [[Albert Einstein]], whose involvement drew national attention to the nascent university.<ref name="reis">{{cite web |last= Reis |first= Arthur H. Jr. |title= The Albert Einstein Involvement |work= Brandeis Publications 50th review |url= http://www.brandeis.edu/publications/review/50threview/einstein.pdf |access-date= May 4, 2006 |pages= 60–61 |quote= Source for Einstein agreeing to establishment of the foundation Feb. 5th, 1946, foundation incorporated Feb. 25; for Alpert quotation, "a man utterly alien to American principles of democracy, tarred with the Communist brush;" for Einstein's refusal to accept an honorary degree in 1953. |archive-date= July 17, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120717013410/http://www.brandeis.edu/communications/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Einstein believed the university would attract the best young people in all fields, satisfying a real need.<ref name="setup">{{cite news |title= Liberal University to Be Set Up by Jewish Body |work= The Baltimore Afro-American |date= August 31, 1946 |page= 10 |id= {{ProQuest|531588568}} }}</ref>

In March 1946, Goldstein said the foundation had raised $10 million that it would use to open the school by the following year.<ref name= sought>{{cite news |title= College Sought by Jewish Group |work= The New York Times |date= March 19, 1946 |page= 19 |id= {{ProQuest|107465002}} }}</ref> The foundation purchased Middlesex University's land and buildings for two million dollars.<ref name= setup/> The charter of this operation was transferred to the foundation along with the campus. The founding organization was announced in August and named The Albert Einstein Foundation for Higher Learning, Inc.<ref name= unit>{{cite news |title= New Jewish Unit Plans University |work= The New York Times |date= August 20, 1946 |page= 10 |id= {{ProQuest|107605957}} }}</ref> The new school would be a Jewish-sponsored secular university open to students and faculty of all races and religions.<ref name= unit/>

[[File:Rabb Graduate Center, Brandeis University.jpg|thumb|right|Rabb Graduate Center (1965, [[Benjamin Thompson (architect)|Benjamin Thompson]])]]
The trustees offered to name the university after Einstein in the summer of 1946, but Einstein declined, and on July 16, 1946, the board decided the university would be named after [[Louis Brandeis]].<ref>{{cite web | last= Reis | first= Arthur H. Jr. | title= Naming the University | work= Brandeis Review, 50th Anniversary Edition | url= http://www.brandeis.edu/publications/review/50threview/einstein.pdf | access-date= May 3, 2006 | pages= 66–67 | archive-date= July 17, 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120717013410/http://www.brandeis.edu/communications/ | url-status= live }}</ref>

Einstein threatened to sever ties with the foundation on September 2, 1946.{{Explain|date=February 2025|reason=Why?}} Believing the venture could not succeed without Einstein, Goldstein quickly agreed to resign, and Einstein recanted.<ref name="einstein-quits" /> Einstein's near-departure was publicly denied.<ref name="quits">{{cite news |title= Goldstein Quits Einstein Agency |work= The New York Times |date= September 26, 1946 |page= 27 |id= {{ProQuest|107727508}} }}</ref><ref name="sachar">{{cite book | title = Brandeis University: A Host at Last | first = Abram L. | last = Sachar | year = 1995 | isbn = 0-87451-585-8 | url=https://archive.org/details/brandeisuniversi0000sach | url-access = registration | publisher = Brandeis University Press, distributed by University Press of New England |pages= [https://archive.org/details/brandeisuniversi0000sach/page/18 18]–22 }}</ref> Goldstein said that, despite his resignation, he would continue to solicit donations for the foundation.<ref name="quits" /> On November 1, 1946, the foundation announced that the new university would be named Brandeis University, after Louis D. Brandeis, associate justice of the [[United States Supreme Court]].<ref name="disclose">{{cite news |title= Disclose Plans for New College |work= The New York Times |date= November 7, 1946 |page= 28 |id= {{ProQuest|107542398}} }}</ref> By the end of 1946, the foundation said it had raised over five hundred thousand dollars,<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Fund Growing |work= The New York Times |date= Dec 19, 1946 |page= 37 |id= {{ProQuest|107429813}} }}</ref> and two months later it said it had doubled that amount.<ref name="to-open">{{cite news |title= Brandeis University to Open in Fall of '48 |work= The New York Times |date= February 11, 1947 |page= 25 |id= {{ProQuest|107822860}} }}</ref>

The Brandeis board felt it was in no position to make the investment in the medical school that would enable it to receive accreditation, and closed it in 1947. Einstein wanted Middlesex University's veterinary school's standards to be improved before expanding to the school,<ref name="einstein-quits" /> while others in the foundation wanted to simply close the veterinary school,<ref name="sachar" /> which, by the winter of 1947, had an enrollment of just about 100 students.<ref name="to-open" /> A professional study of the veterinary school recommended dismissing certain instructors and requiring end-of-year examinations for the students, but the foundation declined to enact any of the recommendations, to the dismay of Einstein and a couple of the foundation's trustees.<ref name="gives-up">{{cite news |title= Einstein Gives Up Support of New College |agency= Associated Press |newspaper= The Baltimore Sun |date= June 22, 1947 |page= A2 |id= {{ProQuest|542673850}} }}</ref>

In early June 1947, Einstein made a final break with the foundation.<ref name="einstein-quits">{{cite news |title= Dr. Einstein Quits University Plan: Withdraws Support of Brandeis and Bars Use of His Name by Einstein Foundation |work= The New York Times |date= June 22, 1947 |page= 16 |id= {{ProQuest|107904030}} }}</ref><ref name="severs">{{cite news |title= Einstein Severs Relations With University Fund |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= June 22, 1947 |page= M1 |id= {{ProQuest|151982804}} }}</ref> The veterinary school was closed, despite students' protests and demonstrations.<ref name="sachar" /> According to George Alpert, a lawyer responsible for much of the organizational effort, Einstein had wanted to offer the presidency of the school to left-wing scholar [[Harold Laski]],<ref name="as-planned">{{cite news |title= Brandeis University to Open As Planned |date= June 25, 1947 |work= The New York Times |page= 6 |id= {{ProQuest|107894324}} }}</ref> someone that Alpert had characterized as "a man utterly alien to American principles of democracy, tarred with the Communist brush."<ref name="reis" /> He said, "I can compromise on any subject but one: that one is Americanism."<ref name="sachar" /> Two of the foundation's trustees, S. Ralph Lazrus and Otto Nathan, quit the foundation at the same time as Einstein.<ref name="einstein-quits" /> In response, Alpert said that Lazrus and Nathan had tried to give Brandeis University a "radical, political orientation."<ref name="charged">{{cite news |title= Left Bias Charged in University Row |date= June 23, 1947 |work= The New York Times |page= 24 |id= {{ProQuest|107902395}} }}</ref> Alpert also criticized Lazrus' lack of fundraising success and Nathan's failure to organize an educational advisory committee.<ref name="charged" /> Einstein said he, Lazrus, and Nathan "have always been and have always acted in complete harmony."<ref>{{cite news |title= Einstein Backs Two Who Quit University |date= June 30, 1947 |work= The New York Times |page= 9 |id= {{ProQuest|107893714}} }}</ref>

===Opening===
[[File:Brandeis University Admissions Night.jpg|right|thumb| Brandeis's admissions building at night]]

On April 26, 1948, Brandeis University announced that [[Abram L. Sachar]], chairman of the National Hillel Commission, had been chosen as Brandeis' first president.<ref name= heads>{{cite news |title= Sachar Heads University|date= April 27, 1948 |work= The New York Times |page= 3 |id= {{ProQuest|108194770}} }}</ref> Sachar promised that Brandeis University would follow Louis Brandeis' principles of academic integrity and service.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis University Pledged to His Ideals |date= June 15, 1948 |work= The New York Times |page= 34 |id= {{ProQuest|108183254}} }}</ref> He also promised that students and faculty would never be chosen based on quotas of "genetic or ethnic or economic distribution" because choices based on quotas "are based on the assumption that there are standard population strains, on the belief that the ideal American must look and act like an eighteenth-century Puritan, that the melting pot of America must mold all who live here into such a pattern."<ref name= installed>{{cite news |title= Sachar Installed As Brandeis Head |first= John H. |last= Fenton |date= October 8, 1948|work= The New York Times |page= 22 |id= {{ProQuest|108273404}} }}</ref> Students who applied to the school were not asked their race, religion, or ancestry.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis University |first= Drew |last= Pearson|newspaper= The Washington Post |date= October 17, 1948 |page= M15 |id= {{ProQuest|152041623}} }}</ref>

Brandeis decided its undergraduate instruction would not be organized with traditional departments or divisions, and instead it would have four schools, namely the School of General Studies, the School of Social Studies, the School of Humanities, and the School of Science.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Inaugural: University in Waltham, Mass., Establishes Four Schools |date= October 3, 1948 |work= The New York Times |page= E7 |id= {{ProQuest|108268080}} }}</ref> On October 14, 1948,<ref name="installed" /> Brandeis University received its first freshman class of 107 students.<ref name="expanding">{{cite news |title= Brandeis Expanding |first= Benjamin |last= Fine |date= May 13, 1951 |work= The New York Times |page= B9 |id= {{ProQuest|112215962}} }}</ref> They were taught by thirteen instructors<ref name="first-graduation" /> in eight buildings on a {{convert|100|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} campus.<ref name="brandeis-builds">{{cite news |title= Brandeis Builds: Facilities Will Be Provided for Graduate Science Studies |date= January 31, 1954 |work= The New York Times |page= E9 |id= {{ProQuest|113152034}} }}</ref> Students came from 28 states and six foreign countries.<ref>{{cite news |title= Interracial Award Established At Brandeis University |work= Atlanta Daily World |date= August 8, 1950 |page= 2 |id= {{ProQuest|490919935}} }}</ref> The library was formerly a barn, students slept in the former medical school building and two army barracks, and the cafeteria was where the medical school had stored cadavers.<ref name="spirit" /> Historians Elinor and Robert Slater later called the opening of Brandeis one of the great moments in Jewish history.<ref name="slater">{{cite book | title = Great Moments in Jewish History | first1 = Elinor | last1 = Slater | first2 = Robert | last2 = Slater | publisher = Jonathan David Company, Inc. | year = 1999 | isbn = 0-8246-0408-3 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/greatmomentsinje00slat/page/121 121–123] | url = https://archive.org/details/greatmomentsinje00slat/page/121 }}</ref>

===Early years===
[[Eleanor Roosevelt]] joined the board of trustees in 1949.<ref>{{cite news |title= Mrs. Roosevelt Joins Board of Brandeis U. |date= June 18, 1949 |work= The New York Times |page= 15 |id= {{ProQuest|105958940}} }}</ref> [[Joseph M. Proskauer]] joined the board in 1950.<ref>{{cite news |title= Proskauer on Brandeis Board |date= February 17, 1950 |work= The New York Times |page= 20 |id= {{ProQuest|111518559}} }}</ref> Construction of on-campus dormitories began in March 1950 with the goal of ninety percent of students living on campus.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis U. to Expand: President Announces Plans to Build Student Dormitories |date= February 20, 1950 |work= The New York Times |page= 26 |id= {{ProQuest|111518559}} }}</ref> 

Construction on an athletic field began in May 1950.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Starts Athletic Field |work= The New York Times |date= May 29, 1950 |page= 13 |id= {{ProQuest|111645250}} }}</ref> Brandeis' football team played its first game on September 30, 1950, a road win against [[Maine Maritime Academy]].<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Freshmen on Top |work= The New York Times |date= October 1, 1950 |page= 162 |id= {{ProQuest|111395437}} }}</ref> Its first varsity game was on September 29, 1951, with a home loss against the [[University of New Hampshire]].<ref name="Brandeis Loses Opener, 33-20">{{cite news |title= Brandeis Loses Opener, 33-20 |work= The New York Times |date= September 30, 1951 |page= 128 |id= {{ProQuest|112140418}} }}</ref> Its first varsity win was a score of 24–13, an away game at [[Hofstra University]] on October 6, 1951.<ref>Zellner, Bob (October 6, 1951). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/712703472/ Much-Penalized Brandeis Downs Hofstra by 24-13] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720225111/https://www.newspapers.com/image/712703472/ |date=July 20, 2023 }}". ''Newsday'' (Long Island, New York). p. 18.</ref> Brandeis Stadium opened in time for a home win against [[American International College]] on October 13, 1951.<ref name="Brandeis Wins, 25-7">{{cite news |title= Brandeis Wins, 25-7 |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= October 14, 1951 |page= C5 |id= {{ProQuest|152355750}} }}</ref> During its first season, the football team won four and lost four games during the regular season and then lost to the [[University of Tampa]] in a post-season game.<ref>Roberts, Ernie (December 30, 1951). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/433527950/ De-Emphasis Trend Hits College Football] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630221259/https://www.newspapers.com/image/433527950/ |date=June 30, 2023 }}". ''The Boston Globe''. p. 20.</ref> Construction of a 2,000-seat amphitheater began in February 1952.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis U. Starts Its Amphitheatre |date= February 24, 1952 |work= The New York Times |page= 74 |id= {{ProQuest|112534800}} }}</ref>

The state legislature of Massachusetts authorized Brandeis to award master's degrees, doctorate degrees, and honorary degrees in 1951.<ref name="expanding" /> Brandeis' first graduating class of 101 students received degrees on June 16, 1952.<ref name="first-graduation">{{cite news |title= Brandeis to Hold First Graduation: 'Pilot' Class of 101 to Receive Degrees—Mrs. Roosevelt Will Deliver Address |date= June 15, 1952 |work= The New York Times |page= 64 |id= {{ProQuest|112280587}} }}</ref><ref name="festival">{{cite news |title= Brandeis U. Begins Festival of Arts |first= Howard |last= Taubman |work= The New York Times |date= June 13, 1952 |page= 20 |id= {{ProQuest|112247624}} }}</ref> [[Leonard Bernstein]], director of Brandeis' Center of Creative Arts, planned [[Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts|a four-day ceremony to commemorate the occasion]].<ref name="festival" /> Held in the newly opened amphitheater, the ceremony included the world premier of Bernstein's opera ''[[Trouble in Tahiti]]''.<ref name="festival" /><ref>{{cite news |title= Bernstein Opera Has Its Premiere |first= Howard |last= Taubman |date= June 14, 1952 |work= The New York Times |page= 12 |id= {{ProQuest|112268443}} }}</ref> Eleanor Roosevelt and Massachusetts Governor [[Paul A. Dever]] spoke at the commencement ceremony.<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Graduates 101 in Its First Class |date= June 17, 1952 |work= The New York Times |page= 25 |id= {{ProQuest|112287529}} }}</ref>

In 1953, Einstein declined the offer of an [[honorary degree]] from Brandeis, writing to Brandeis President [[Abram L. Sachar]] that "what happened in the stage of preparation of Brandeis University was not at all caused by a misunderstanding and cannot be made good any more."<ref>{{cite book |title= Brandeis University: A Host At Last |first= Abram L. |last= Sachar |publisher= Brandeis University Press |year= 1995 |page= [https://archive.org/details/brandeisuniversi0000sach/page/38 38] |url= https://archive.org/details/brandeisuniversi0000sach |url-access= registration |isbn= 9780874515855 }}</ref> Instead, at the graduation ceremony for Brandeis' second graduating class of 108 students, individuals given Brandeis' first honorary degrees included Illinois Senator [[Paul Douglas (Illinois politician)|Paul H. Douglas]], Rabbi [[Louis Ginzberg]], and Alpert.<ref>{{cite news |title= Douglas Gets Degree: Senator Honored at Brandeis—Urges Values in Red Fight |date= June 15, 1953 |work= The New York Times |page= 27 |id= {{ProQuest|112720176}} }}</ref> 1953 also saw the creation of the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, one of the first academic programs in Jewish Studies at an American university. Among the founders were distinguished emigre scholars Alexander Altmann, Nathan Glatzer, and [[Simon Rawidowicz]]. Brandeis' graduate program, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, opened in fall 1954.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/172194412/ Arthur Berger to Teach at Brandeis University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630211124/https://www.newspapers.com/image/172194412/ |date=June 30, 2023 }}". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. July 26, 1953.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Dedicates Its Graduate School |date= January 15, 1954 |work= The New York Times |page= 21 |id= {{ProQuest|113153688}} }}</ref> In the same year, Brandeis became fully accredited, joining the [[New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools]].<ref name="brandeis-builds" /> As of 1954, Brandeis had 22 buildings and a {{convert|192|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} campus.<ref name="brandeis-builds" />

[[File:ChapelPond.jpg|right|thumb|Chapels Pond]]

In 1954, Brandeis began construction on an interfaith center consisting of separate Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish chapels.<ref name="interfaith">{{cite news |title= Brandeis to Build Interfaith Center |date= May 13, 1954 |work= The New York Times |page= 26 |id= {{ProQuest|112935577}} }}</ref> Designed by the architectural firm of [[Harrison & Abramovitz]], the three chapels surrounded a natural pond.<ref name="interfaith" /> Brandeis announced that no official chaplains would be named, and attendance at chapel services would not be required.<ref name="interfaith" /> The Roman Catholic chapel was named Bethlehem, meaning house of bread, and it was dedicated on September 9, 1955.<ref name="catholic">{{cite news |title= Catholic Chapel at Brandeis Open: Cushing, at Dedication on Campus, Lauds University for Aid to Religion |first= John H. |last= Fenton |date= September 10, 1955 |work= The New York Times |page= 19 |id= {{ProQuest|113254552}} }}</ref> Dedicated on September 11, 1955, the Jewish chapel was named in memory of Mendel and Leah Berlin, parents of Boston surgeon David D. Berlin.<ref name="three-chapels">{{cite news |title= 3 Brandeis Chapels will be Dedicated |date= October 23, 1955 |work= The New York Times |page= 111 |id= {{ProQuest|113339821}} }}</ref> Named in memory of Supreme Court Justice [[John Marshall Harlan]], the Protestant chapel was dedicated on October 30, 1955.<ref name="three-chapels" />

[[File:Brandeis University Libraries.jpg|thumb|right|Farber Library at left (1984, Abramovitz, Harris, & Kingsland); Goldfarb Library at right (1959, Harrison & Abramovitz)]]

In 1956, Brandeis received a one-million-dollar donation from New York industrialist Jack A. Goldfarb to build a library.<ref>{{cite news |title=Izler Solomon Named Symphony Head in 1956 |url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=JPOST19560831-01.1.31 |access-date=3 November 2018 |publisher=The National Jewish Post |date=31 August 1956 |location=Indianapolis |page=32 |quote=It was learned this month that former Indianapolis resident Jack Goldfarb of New York City gave a million-dollar gift to build a library at Brandeis university in Waltham, Mass. The library will be named in his honor. |archive-date=3 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103210741/https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=JPOST19560831-01.1.31 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="gets-gift">{{cite news |title= Brandeis University Gets Gift of $1,000,000 for Library |work= The New York Times |date= April 12, 1956 |page= 49 |id= {{ProQuest|113609504}} }}</ref> The building, named the Bertha and Jacob Goldfarb Library in his honor, was designed by [[Harrison & Abramovitz]], a firm which designed many campus buildings in the 1950s.<ref name="gets-gift" /> Built of brick and glass, the library was designed to hold 750,000 volumes.<ref name="gets-gift" />

[[File:Louis Brandeis statue by Robert Berks.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Robert Berks]]' statue of Louis Brandeis stands atop the outcropping in Fellows Garden, in the center of campus (1956).]]

A nine-foot bronze statue of Justice [[Louis D. Brandeis]] is a campus landmark. The sculpture, created by sculptor [[Robert Berks]], was unveiled in 1956 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Brandeis' birth.<ref name="statue">{{cite news |title= Memorial to Brandeis: 9-Foot Statue of Justice to Be Unveiled Nov. 13 |work= The New York Times |date= April 15, 1956 |page= 39 |id= {{ProQuest|113897312}} }}</ref><ref name="statue2">{{cite news |last1=Cardillo |first1=Julian |title=Louis Brandeis statue enlivens campus |url=http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2016/april/louis-brandeis-statue-tbt.html |access-date=3 November 2018 |publisher=Brandeis University |date=28 April 2016 |archive-date=2 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702102634/http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2016/april/louis-brandeis-statue-tbt.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Berks' wife Dorothy had been the Justice's personal assistant for 39 years and wore his actual robes to model the statue.<ref name="statue2" />

After Brandeis University awarded an honorary doctorate to Israeli Premier [[David Ben-Gurion]] in 1960,<ref>{{cite news |title= Ben-Gurion Cites Spirit of Israel: Receiving Honorary Degree at Brandeis, He Stresses Philosophy and Science |first= Irving |last= Spiegel |work= The New York Times |date= Mar 10, 1960 |page= 9 |id= {{ProQuest|115037889}} }}</ref> [[Jordan]] boycotted Brandeis University, announcing that it would not issue currency permits to Jordanian students at Brandeis.<ref>{{cite news |title= Jordan Boycotts Brandeis U. |work= The New York Times |date= July 5, 1960 |page= 63 |id= {{ProQuest|115192047}} }}</ref>

Beginning in fall 1959, singer [[Eddie Fisher]] established two scholarships at the university, one for classical and one for popular music, in the name of [[Eddie Cantor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jta.org/1958/12/01/archive/schottland-to-head-social-welfare-school-at-brandeis-university |website=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] |title=Schottland to Head Social Welfare School at Brandeis University |date=December 1, 1958 |access-date=May 10, 2016 |archive-date=July 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701012844/http://www.jta.org/1958/12/01/archive/schottland-to-head-social-welfare-school-at-brandeis-university |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 16, 1960, Brandeis announced it would discontinue its varsity football team.<ref name="quits-football">{{cite news |title= Brandeis Quits College Gridiron |work= The Baltimore Sun |date= May 17, 1960 |page= S23 |id= {{ProQuest|542277219}} }}</ref> President [[Abram Sachar]] pointed to the cost of the team as one reason for the decision.<ref name="quits-football" /> Brandeis' football coach [[Benny Friedman]] said it was difficult to recruit football players who were also excellent students with so much competition in the Boston metropolitan area.<ref name="fielding">{{cite news |title= Team Also Cited: Brandeis Athletic Director Says Football Expenses Outweighed Returns |first= Robert M. |last= Lipsyte |work= The New York Times |date= May 17, 1960 |page= 47 |id= {{ProQuest|114978291}} }}</ref> Brandeis said the discontinuation of varsity football would allow it to expand intercollegiate activity in other sports.<ref name="fielding" /> During its nine years of varsity play, Brandeis' football team recorded 34 wins, 33 losses, and four ties.<ref name="fielding" /> In 1985, Brandeis was elected to membership in the [[Association of American Universities]], an association that focuses on graduate education and research.<ref>{{cite news |title= UF Invited Into Prestigious Association of Universities |date= July 9, 1985 |work= The Gainesville Sun |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ez9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6157,2817515 |access-date= November 5, 2015 |archive-date= November 18, 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211118150439/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ez9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y-kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6157%2C2817515 |url-status= live }}</ref>

=== 1960s: Countercultural epicenter ===
Brandeis became an epicenter of radical student activism and [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|anti–Vietnam War protests]] during the [[counterculture of the 1960s]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Bronner|first=Ethan|date=1998-10-17|title=Brandeis at 50 Is Still Searching, Still Jewish and Still Not Harvard|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/17/us/brandeis-at-50-is-still-searching-still-jewish-and-still-not-harvard.html|access-date=2022-01-02|archive-date=2022-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102221859/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/17/us/brandeis-at-50-is-still-searching-still-jewish-and-still-not-harvard.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was the National Student Strike Information Center during the [[student strike of 1970]].<ref name=":1"/>

==== Student takeover of Ford Hall ====
On January 8, 1969, about 70 black students entered then-student-center, Ford Hall, ejected everyone else from the building, and refused to leave.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Student Occupation of Ford Hall, January 1969 | work=Brandeis University Archives, Remembering Ford & Sydeman Halls | url=http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/archives-speccoll/exhibits/ford/occupation/index.html | access-date=2013-02-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127011528/http://lts.brandeis.edu/research/archives-speccoll/exhibits/ford/occupation/index.html | archive-date=2013-01-27 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The students' demands included the hiring of more black faculty members, increasing black student enrollment from four percent to ten percent of the student body,<ref name= seize>{{cite news |title= 70 Seize Hall at Brandeis: Faculty Condemns Action By Negro Students |work= The Baltimore Sun |date= January 9, 1969 |page= A8 |id= {{ProQuest|539247176}} }}</ref> establishing an independent department on African American studies,<ref name= resume>{{cite news |title= Students Resume Brandeis Classes: Protest by Negroes Goes On as Negotiations Continue |first= John H. |last= Fenton |work= The New York Times |date= January 11, 1969 |page= 17 |id= {{ProQuest|118533415}} }}</ref> and an increase in scholarships for black students.<ref>{{cite news |title= Negro Students Accuse Brandeis Of 'Racist Policies,' Seize Building |newspaper= The Washington Post|date= January 9, 1969 |page= A3 |id= {{ProQuest|147744840}}}}</ref> Over 200 white students staged a sit-in in the lobby of the administration building.<ref name= suspends/> President [[Morris B. Abram]] said that, although he recognized "the deep frustration and anger which black students here and all over the country feel at what must seem—and often is—the indifference and duplicity of white men in relation to blacks",<ref name="suspends" /> the students' actions were an affront to the university. The faculty condemned the students' actions as well.<ref name="seize" /> On the fourth day of the protest, the [[Middlesex County, Massachusetts|Middlesex]] Superior Court issued a temporary restraining order, requiring the students to leave Ford Hall.<ref name="resume" /> While Abram did not allow the order to forcibly remove the students from Ford Hall to be enforced, 65 students had been suspended for their actions.<ref name="suspends">{{cite news |title= Brandeis U. Head Suspends 65 in Campus Protest: Offers to Resign Escalate Demands |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= January 12, 1969 |page= 10 |id= {{ProQuest|143655739}} }}</ref> On January 18, the black students exited Ford Hall, ending the eleven-day occupation of the building.<ref name="end-occupation">{{cite news |title= 64 Black Students End 'Occupation' at Brandeis |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= January 19, 1969 |page= 3 |id= {{ProQuest|147736439}} }}</ref> There had been no violence or destruction of property during the occupation, and Brandeis gave the students amnesty for their actions.<ref name="end-occupation" /> [[Ronald Walters]] became the first chair of Afro-American studies at Brandeis later the same year.<ref>{{cite news |title= Ronald Walters, Rights Leader and Scholar, Dies at 72 |work= The New York Times |date= September 14, 2010 |first= Dennis |last= Hevesi |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/us/15walters.html |access-date= February 24, 2017 |archive-date= February 3, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170203122205/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/us/15walters.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Ford Hall was demolished in August 2000 to make way for the Shapiro Campus Center, which was opened and dedicated October 3, 2002.

=== Late 20th century: Institutional crisis ===
{{Context|section|date=October 2024}}
In the 1970s, Brandeis faced a financial crisis as donations from American Jews decreased as they turned toward support for Israel and other causes.<ref name=":1"/>

[[Samuel O. Thier]], president from 1991 to 1994, helped to restabilize the university.<ref name=":1"/>

In 1998, German Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]] addressed the university as commencement speaker and dedicated the Center for German and European established the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CGES {{!}} Center for German and European Studies {{!}} Brandeis University |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/cges/ |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bachelor of Arts in German Studies |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/grall/german/undergraduate/index.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-02-10 |title=CGES: Inaugural Speech |url=http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/cges/speech.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030210131929/http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/cges/speech.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-02-10 |access-date=2025-01-13 }}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In January 2007, former [[Jimmy Carter|President Jimmy Carter]] spoke at the university against the backdrop of controversy over his book [[Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid|''Palestine:Peace Not Apartheid'']] after being invited by students despite some campus opposition. <ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbUA8ld_2yc |title=Speech to Brandeis University (Jan. 23, 2007) |date=2014-06-20 |last=The Carter Center |access-date=2025-01-13 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Remarks by Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at Brandeis University |url=https://www.cartercenter.org/news/editorials_speeches/brandeis.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Carter Center |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Carter defends book; challenges Brandeis to send Mideast delegation |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/01/carter-defends-book-challenges-brandeis-to-send-mideast-delegation |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref> His speech was followed by a rebuttal remarks from [[Alan Dershowitz]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Excerpts from Alan Dershowitz's speech |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/01/excerpts-from-alan-dershowitzs-speech |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dershowitz says Carter "oversimplifies |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/01/dershowitz-says-carter-oversimplifies |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref> Later that spring [[Norman Finkelstein]] and [[Daniel Pipes]] were invited to speak on campus by separate student groups.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohler-Esses |first=Larry |date=2007-02-23 |title=Post-Carter Showdown At Brandeis Over Speakers |url=https://www.jta.org/2007/02/23/ny/post-carter-showdown-at-brandeis-over-speakers |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Pipes lectures to calm crowd |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/04/pipes-lectures-to-calm-crowd |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Finkelstein calls Israel a human rights abuser, following brief protest |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/05/finkelstein-calls-israel-a-human-rights-abuser-following-brief-protest |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref>

In December 2007 former President [[Bill Clinton]] spoke on campus and launched the Eli J. Segal Leadership program.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Call to action |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2007/12/call-to-action |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bill Clinton calls on students to be social entrepreneurs |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2008/january/clintonstory.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=BrandeisNOW |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham MA.jpg|right|thumb|The Volen Center for Complex Systems (1994, [[CannonDesign]])]]
[[File:Landsman Research Facility, Brandeis University.jpg|thumb|right|Landsman Research Facility (completed 2005, dedicated 2008), home to a superconducting magnet.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rahman |first1=Nashrah |title=Research facility dedicated to donors |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2008/11/research-facility-dedicated-to-donors |website=The Justice |access-date=21 January 2019 |date=11 November 2008 |archive-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064743/https://www.thejustice.org/article/2008/11/research-facility-dedicated-to-donors |url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In 2014, Brandeis announced it would offer an honorary doctorate to [[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]], "a staunch supporter of [[women's rights]]",<ref>{{cite web |title=Brandeis University Rescinds Honorary Degree From Ayaan Hirsi Ali Over Criticism of Islam |work=The Christian Post |first=Morgan |last=Lee |date=April 9, 2014 |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/brandeis-university-rescinds-honorary-degree-from-ayaan-hirsi-ali-over-criticism-of-islam-117659/ |access-date=May 21, 2014 |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522015300/http://www.christianpost.com/news/brandeis-university-rescinds-honorary-degree-from-ayaan-hirsi-ali-over-criticism-of-islam-117659/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and an outspoken campaigner against [[female genital mutilation]], [[honor killing]] and [[Islamic extremism]] in general. After complaints from the [[Council on American–Islamic Relations]] and internal consultation with faculty and students, Brandeis publicly withdrew the offer, citing that Ali's statements condemning Islam<ref>{{cite web |title='The Trouble Is the West': Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Islam, immigration, civil liberties, and the fate of the West |first=Rogier |last=van Bakel |date=November 2007 |website=Reason.com |publisher=Reason Foundation |url=http://reason.com/archives/2007/10/10/the-trouble-is-the-west/singlepage |access-date=2014-06-01 |archive-date=2014-04-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427233726/http://reason.com/archives/2007/10/10/the-trouble-is-the-west/singlepage |url-status=live}}</ref> were "inconsistent with the University's core values".<ref>{{cite news |title=Brandeis Cancels Plan to Give Honorary Degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Critic of Islam |first1=Richard |last1=Pérez-Peña |first2=Tanzina |last2=Vega |author-link=Tanzina Vega |date=April 8, 2014 |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/us/brandeis-cancels-plan-to-give-honorary-degree-to-ayaan-hirsi-ali-a-critic-of-islam.html |access-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414212112/http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/us/brandeis-cancels-plan-to-give-honorary-degree-to-ayaan-hirsi-ali-a-critic-of-islam.html |url-status=live}}</ref> 87 out of 511 faculty members at Brandeis signed a letter to the university president.

The university announced that the decision to withdraw the invitation was made after a discussion between Ayaan Ali and President Frederick Lawrence, stating that "She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights ... but we cannot overlook certain of her past statements".<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement from Brandeis University |publisher=Brandeis University |date=April 8, 2014 |url=http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2014/april/commencementupdate.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140615170913/http://www.brandeis.edu/now/2014/april/commencementupdate.html |archive-date=June 15, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to Brandeis, Ali was never invited to speak at commencement, she was only invited to receive an honorary degree.<ref>{{cite web |title=Students' outcry prompts Brandeis to reconsider award |first=Emily |last=Stott |work=The Brandeis Hoot |date=April 11, 2014 |url=http://thebrandeishoot.com/articles/14184 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034408/http://thebrandeishoot.com/articles/14184 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Ali said that Brandeis' decision surprised her because Brandeis said they did not know what she had said in the past even though her speeches were publicly available on the internet, calling it a "feeble excuse".<ref name="foxnews.com">{{cite web |title=Ayaan Hirsi Ali on withdrawal of honorary degree |date=April 9, 2014 |work=The Kelly File |publisher=Fox News |first=Megyn |last=Kelly |format=transcript |url=http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/the-kelly-file/transcript/2014/04/10/exclusive-ayaan-hirsi-ali-withdrawal-honorary-degree |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512224028/http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/the-kelly-file/transcript/2014/04/10/exclusive-ayaan-hirsi-ali-withdrawal-honorary-degree |archive-date=2014-05-12 |url-status=dead |access-date=2014-05-24 }}</ref> Ali stated that the university's decision was motivated in part by fear of offending Muslims.<ref name="foxnews.com"/> She argued that the "spirit of free expression" referred to in the Brandeis statement has been betrayed and stifled.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Ayaan Hirsi Ali: 'They Simply Wanted Me to be Silenced' |magazine=Time |date=April 9, 2014 |url=https://time.com/56111/ayaan-hirsi-ali-they-simply-wanted-me-to-be-silenced/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610152126/http://time.com/56111/ayaan-hirsi-ali-they-simply-wanted-me-to-be-silenced/ |archive-date=June 10, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

While some commentators such as Abdullah Antepli, the Muslim chaplain and adjunct faculty of Islamic Studies at Duke University, applauded the decision and warned against "making renegades into heroes,"<ref>{{cite news |title=Hats off to Brandeis University! |work=The Chronicle |publisher=Duke Student Publishing Company |first=Abdullah |last=Antepli |date=April 10, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |url=http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2014/04/10/hats-brandeis-university |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708195244/http://www.dukechronicle.com/articles/2014/04/10/hats-brandeis-university |archive-date=2014-07-08 |url-status=dead}}</ref> other academic commentators such as the University of Chicago's [[Jerry Coyne]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Brandeis University cancels plans to give Ayaan Hirsi Ali an honorary degree |first=Jerry A. |last=Coyne |work=Why Evolution Is True |date=April 9, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |url=http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/brandeis-university-cancels-plans-to-give-ayaan-hirsi-ali-an-honorary-degree/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619185927/http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/brandeis-university-cancels-plans-to-give-ayaan-hirsi-ali-an-honorary-degree/ |archive-date=June 19, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the George Mason University Foundation Professor [[David Bernstein (law professor)|David Bernstein]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Bernstein |first=David |title=More on the Brandeis-Hirsi Ali controversy |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2014-04-10 |access-date=2014-04-16 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/04/10/more-on-the-brandeis-hirsi-ali-controversy/ |archive-date=2017-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517100257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/04/10/more-on-the-brandeis-hirsi-ali-controversy/ |url-status=live}}</ref> criticized the decision as an attack on academic values such as freedom of inquiry and intellectual independence from religious pressure groups.

In 2017, a planned student performance of a play called "Buyer Beware" about [[Lenny Bruce]] by Brandeis alumnus [[Michael Weller]] was first postponed over concerns about racism, then prompting the playwright to withdraw the play in favor of a staging it elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-17 |title=Brandeis Says It Had Planned To Stage Controversial Play |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2017/11/15/brandeis-play-controversy |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.wbur.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kitty Bruce criticizes father's portrayal in 'Buyer Beware' |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2017/11/bruce-on-buyer-beware |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiater |first=Natalia |title='Buyer Beware' author discusses life and work CONVERSATION: Michael Weller '65 shared personal stories from his life in a conversation with the University |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2018/01/weller-talk |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Deb |first=Sopan |date=2017-11-06 |title=Brandeis Cancels Play About Lenny Bruce After Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/06/theater/brandeis-cancels-lenny-bruce-play.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Brandeis cancels play amid protests over racism — and gets more backlash - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/11/03/brandeis-cancels-campus-play-amid-student-protests-its-black-characters/G52k7m4X0H6s9A4cISyP4I/story.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Protest cancels play production |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2017/10/protest-cancels-play-production |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Unstaged play captures Lenny Bruce's relevance, edgy danger - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/03/27/unstaged-play-captures-bruce-relevance-edgy-danger/ZbpiwWdTSydP8arFi1CHSI/story.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}</ref> 

The university adopted official free expression principles in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University adopts principles of free speech, expression |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2018/10/university-adopts-principles-of-free-speech-expression-brandeis-board-trustees |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Principles |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/free-expression/principles.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref> A new presidential taskforce to review the university's free expression guidelines was set up in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Task Force on free expression |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/04/ask-force-on-free-expression-brandeis |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Presidential Task Force on Free Expression |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/president/past/liebowitz-letters/2024-3-28-presidential-task-force-on-free-expression.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref>

In 2021, a student group's "oppressive language list" was removed from the university website after it got outside attention for its suggestion to avoid the term "trigger warning."<ref>{{Cite web |last=McWhorter |first=John |date=2021-07-04 |title=Even Trigger Warning Is Now Off-Limits |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/07/brandeis-language-police-have-suggestions-you/619347/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-29 |title=Oppressive Language List {{!}} Holding Ourselves Accountable {{!}} Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center {{!}} Brandeis University |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629093450/https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist.html |archive-date=June 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-29 |title=Violent Language {{!}} Holding Ourselves Accountable {{!}} Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center {{!}} Brandeis University |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist_violent.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629093610/https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist_violent.html |archive-date=June 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PARC's Suggested Language List gains widespread media coverage |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2021/09/parcs-suggested-language-list-gains-widespread-media-coverage-brandeis |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gersen |first=Jeannie Suk |date=2021-09-28 |title=What if Trigger Warnings Don't Work? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-if-trigger-warnings-dont-work |access-date=2025-02-16 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}</ref>

President Ronald Liebowitz announced his resignation in September 2024 following a faculty no-confidence vote amid budget concerns and controversy over the handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus -- the fifth university president to step down that year at least in part in connection with the [[2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses]], according to the ''New York Times''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Saul |first=Stephanie |date=2024-09-25 |title=Brandeis President Steps Down Amid Budget Issues and Protests |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/25/us/brandeis-university-president-resigns.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bier |first=Eliza |title=University President Ronald Liebowitz shares plans to resign |url=https://www.thejustice.org/article/2024/10/university-president-ronald-liebowitz-shares-plans-to-resign-brandeis |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=The Justice |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurvis |first=Jacob |date=2024-09-25 |title=Brandeis President Ron Liebowitz resigns after no-confidence vote that cited budget crisis and Gaza protests |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/09/25/united-states/brandeis-president-ron-leibowitz-resigns-after-no-confidence-vote-that-cited-budget-crisis-and-gaza-protests |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Knott |first=Katherine |title=Facing Budget Cuts and Faculty Pushback, Brandeis President Resigns |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/executive-leadership/2024/09/26/brandeis-president-steps-down-after-no-confidence |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Inside Higher Ed |language=en}}</ref>

=== Presidents ===
The presidents of Brandeis University include:

{| class=wikitable
|+Presidents of Brandeis University
! colspan="1" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| Name
! style="text-align:center;" | Tenure
! style="text-align:center;" | Note
|-
| [[Abram L. Sachar]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1948–1968<ref name= heads/>
| 
|-
|[[Morris B. Abram]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1968–1970<ref>{{cite news |title= Abram, Pledging Student Role, Is Installed as 2d Brandeis Head |first= John H. |last= Fenton |work= The New York Times |date= October 7, 1968 |page= 30 |id= {{ProQuest|118336604}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| Charles I. Schottland
| style="text-align:center;" | 1970–1972<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis U. Names Third President |work= The New York Times |date= December 19, 1970 |page= 24 |id= {{ProQuest|118743887}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Marver Bernstein]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1972–1983<ref>{{cite news |title= Loses Fourth President: Bernstein, Political Scientist at Princeton, Is Named
|first= Robert |last= Reinhold |work= The New York Times |date= December 18, 1971 |page= 33 |id= {{ProQuest|119211061}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Evelyn Handler]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1983–1991<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis Installs Its 5th President |work= The New York Times|date= October 10, 1983 |page= A15 |id= {{ProQuest|424806105}}}}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Stuart Altman]] 
| style="text-align:center;" | 1990–1991<ref>{{cite news |title=Interim President Chosen At Brandeis University |date=September 6, 1990 |work=Orlando Sentinel |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1990/09/06/interim-president-chosen-at-brandeis-university/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513101947/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-09-06/news/9009060613_1_brandeis-university-altman-university-of-california |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| interim
|-
| [[Samuel O. Thier]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1991–1994<ref>{{cite news |title= Brandeis University Selects Samuel Thier As Its New President |work= The New York Times |date= May 5, 1991 |id= {{ProQuest|428082753}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Jehuda Reinharz]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 1994–2010<ref>{{cite news |title= Professor to lead Brandeis: Reinharz to be named president March 2 |last= Sinert |first= Michael L. |work= Jewish Advocate |date= March 3, 1994 |page= 1 |id= {{ProQuest|205204310}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Frederick M. Lawrence]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2011–2015<ref>{{cite news |title= New Brandeis head: campuses are fertile ground for hate speech |last= Bruss |first= Andrew |work= Jewish Advocate |date= October 15, 2010 |page= 4 |id= {{ProQuest|759966789}} }}</ref>
| 
|-
| [[Lisa M. Lynch]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2015–2016<ref>{{Cite web |title=Research Portal |url=https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/profile/lisa_lynch/overview |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=scholarworks.brandeis.edu}}</ref>
| interim
|-
| [[Ronald D. Liebowitz]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 2016–2024<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcing a Leadership Transition |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/trustees/letter-presidential-transition.html |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref>
| 
|-
|Arthur E. Levine
|2024–<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcing a Leadership Transition |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/trustees/letter-presidential-transition.html |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=www.brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref>
|interim
|}