Brown, Ciccone, Dart Colegrove, and Hancock. In the years since Colgate University launched its four Residential Commons, each has developed its own distinctive programming and personality.
With the arrival of Colgate’s third century, new iconography will highlight the leading characteristics of Residential Commons namesakes and link those noble traits, in perpetuity, to the University’s living-learning communities.
Coleman Brown
A graduate of Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary, Brown joined the Colgate faculty in 1970 as an instructor of philosophy and religion. He arrived on campus after participating in the civil rights movement and joining clergy protests against the Vietnam War. The winner of multiple teaching awards during his decades at Colgate, he served as university chaplain, dean of students, chair of the diversity committee, and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion.
The Brown Commons Crest
With their heart-like shape, a symbol of love and modesty, common blue violets signify both Coleman Brown’s home state of Illinois and his personal sensibilities. Compasses, symbols of his moral guidance and teaching philosophy, sit across the center of the crest, which is anchored by his monogram, built around the formation of an “I” for his wife, Irene.