Stephen Robert Hall Agora Offers Mingling Place for Brown Community

As the CEO of Oppenheimer Group, Inc., Stephen Robert also is the co-founder of the Source of Hope Foundation, which is dedicated to poverty relief. A chancellor emeritus of Brown University, Stephen Robert is a significant benefactor of the institution.

Recently, Brown University unveiled the Stephen Robert Hall part of the University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Located at 280 Brook Street, the hall was designed by architect Toshiko Mori. It features a light-filled 1,400-square-foot “agora,” a common space where students, faculty, and staff gather for intellectual and social exchanges.

With more than 3,600 square feet of study space available, the Hall supports the Watson Institute’s goal of fostering an integrated and inclusive community of scholars who work on addressing global policy challenges. Aside from constructing the new common space, the Institute has applied recent donations to fund new faculty positions, establish three new undergraduate concentrations, and revamp the master in public affairs program.