Brown University President Christina H. Paxson speaks during a press conference after a mass shooting prompted a lockdown on campus on Dec. 13, 2025. (Getty)
"We understand that as time goes on, there is maybe a natural instinct to assign responsibility for a tragic event like this. Anxiety and fear is very natural, but the shooter is responsible. Horrific gun violence took the lives of these students and hospitalized others. It’s deeply sad and tragic that schools across the country are targets of violence, Brown is no exception."
"Kind of a bizarre quiet part out loud," Republican communicator Matt Whitlock posted on X. "You may be tempted to blame a violent terrorist or even a failed security apparatus when an innocent person is murdered.. but don’t forget… it’s actually the gun’s fault. These people educate our kids."
"She’s awful," Twitchy.com editor Samantha Janney posted on X. "How can any family allow their kids to attend this school?"
"A domestic terrorist attack by an unknown shooter just occurred on her campus and her primary point is how Brown is regarded?" Canadian politician and commentator Lisa MacLeod posted on X.
Paxson was also involved in a tense exchange with a reporter days earlier when she was asked 6 hours after the shooting if she knew what the students were doing in the classroom when they were shot and she answered, "I do not know."
A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, R.I., during the investigation of a shooting. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)
Paxson also serves as chair of the board of directors at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Paxson has waded into political waters on multiple occasions as Brown’s president, including in 2017 when she joined other university presidents in sending a letter to President Donald Trump related to immigration, and urging protection and financial assistance for DACA students.
In 2019, Paxson found herself at odds with pro-Palestine activists on campus by rejecting a BDS-style divestment platform despite a student referendum.
"Brown’s endowment is not a political instrument to be used to express views on complex social and political issues, especially those over which thoughtful and intelligent people vehemently disagree," Paxson said at the time.
BROWN UNIVERSITY WAS ‘SOFT TARGET’ FOR SHOOTER WHO REMAINS AT LARGE, CRIMINAL PROFILER SAYS
Crime scene tape blocks off streets near Brown University as the investigation continues in Providence, R.I., Saturday. (Andrea Margolis / Fox News Digital)
Earlier this year, Fox News Digital reported that Brown University under Paxson’s tenure faced criticism from student Alex Shieh, who testified before Congress that the university suffers from administrative bloat.
"According to Brown’s own disclosures, the university employs 3,805 full-time non-instructional staff," Shieh said in his testimony. "With 7,229 undergraduate students, this translates to one non-teaching staff member for every 1.9 undergraduates. These staff do not include faculty members, but rather administrators, consultants, and support staff, many in roles of unclear necessity."
Shieh urged the House Judiciary Committee to look into why his school has become so expensive, and his recommendations included subpoenaing Paxson "for testimony and documents related to administrative growth, financial aid coordination, and retaliation."
Fox News Digital reached out to Brown University for comment.
Fox News Digital Rachel Del Guidice and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-is-christina-paxson-the-brown-university-president-facing-increased-scrutiny-over-mass-shooting-response