Zia’s tenure has been marked by a wide range of accomplishments, including enhancements to academic advising, the expansion of experiential learning and study abroad, increased financial support for students through the Emergency-Gap Funding program and the data-driven policy changes it has enabled, and revitalizing the Meiklejohn Peer Advising Program in partnership with staff and students.

“It’s been really wonderful to work with colleagues to continuously improve our academic advising approach and financial support policies,” Zia said. “So much of that work is driven by listening to our students, which is what Brown has done for decades: We’ve been able to hear feedback from students, staff and faculty and act on their suggestions to help support our shared learning.”

University Provost Francis J. Doyle III praised Zia for his adept oversight of academic advising, classroom instruction and the student-centered Open Curriculum for Brown’s nearly 7,300 undergraduates. Doyle noted the myriad accomplishments that Zia has stewarded, from the launch of Brown’s Center for Career Exploration to the expansion of undergraduate teaching and research opportunities.

“Since his appointment as dean, Rashid has offered a unique blend of academic excellence, visionary leadership and deep, personal commitment to student success,” Doyle said. “He has been a steadfast advocate for Brown’s distinctive approach to undergraduate education, and his efforts have ensured that our students have the best education to empower them to achieve meaningful lives and careers.”

To Zia, one of the most impactful initiatives he’s led has been the implementation of increased financial support and expanded opportunities for the widest possible range of students — work that he helped achieve through collaboration with the University’s divisions of advancement and other administrative leaders to ensure support for a range of initiatives to benefit undergraduates. A consistent theme for Zia and colleagues has been leveraging data, together with community feedback, to inform changes that expand equity and access.

Those included establishing the Book/Course Material Support Program, which provides textbooks to all students who receive University scholarship, and the transformation of the application and funding process for University-sponsored summer and semester opportunities, which has enabled a dramatic increase in the number of supported internships, as well as undergraduate teaching and research opportunities, buttressed by additional need-based financial support. Last year alone, the Summer/Semester Projects for Research, Internships and Teaching program, known as SPRINT, distributed over $5.3 million in funding to more than 1,300 students.

“One in three Brown students applied for SPRINT awards last year — one in four for research opportunities alone — and they were representative of our student body in every way, which is something I’m incredibly excited about,” Zia said.

Zia has worked closely with University leaders and faculty and staff colleagues to enhance international engagement, building a dedicated study abroad advising team to support undergraduate students pursuing international study opportunities. Last year, more than 550 undergraduates studied away from campus for a semester, which was a 40% increase in participation in study abroad (and recently developed study away programs such as the Brown Semester Internship Program) compared with pre-2020 levels.

In 2020, Zia played a critical role in supporting undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. As lead of an academic continuity subgroup of the crisis team and chair of the College Curriculum Council, he steered the adaptation and development of academic policies during a time of tremendous global uncertainty. He also helped to shape Brown’s three-semester 2020-21 academic calendar so that residential students could safely return to campus to continue their education, while ensuring that students studying remotely received equitable support.

“I’m really proud of the unique steps that Brown took during the pandemic, which were informed by our students to help support their learning,” Zia said. “In the spirit of our Open Curriculum, we gave students agency and choices, plus we provided the same support for housing, meals and personal expenses for students receiving financial aid whether they chose to study remotely or came to campus. I am proud to be part of a community that prioritized our students and their learning.”

For Zia, who was born in Iran and moved to Rhode Island just before his 5th birthday, access to education changed his family’s life and enabled his father to emigrate for a job at the University of Rhode Island. As Brown continues to expand access and enroll students from more diverse backgrounds, Zia said it’s been poignant and powerful to collaborate with faculty and staff who are deeply committed to student success.

“As someone who had many supports and still had challenges navigating Brown as an undergraduate, I’ve been deeply grateful for the ability to work with partners here to make student support and financial support simpler and more accessible,” Zia said. “Our students today are phenomenal and represent a more diverse community with a whole set of distinct life experiences, for whom we’ve worked to build a whole set of supports.”

Before Zia returns to full-time teaching and research, he’ll take a sabbatical year in Japan with his wife and their 12-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter before returning to campus for the start of the 2026-27 academic year.

“There are so many caring, dedicated and expert staff engaged in the day-to-day work of Brown that we don’t always see when we’re faculty members in a department or teaching in a classroom, but which my time in University Hall has made deeply apparent,” Zia said. “The deepest joys of this role — and my time here at Brown — have always been working in partnership with our students, staff and faculty to make this an even better place.”