ACURM is charged to consider how ethical and moral standards are applied across all of Brown’s business and investment practices in a manner consistent with the University’s mission and values. This includes issues of ethics in the acceptance of gifts and other University business practices (procurement, vendor contracts, labor standards). 

The Committee may consider requests by any member of the University community to bring pressing issues concerning the University’s mission and values. The committee is a representative body composed of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

ACURM succeeds the previous Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Practices (ACCRIP), which was established in 1978 to considers issues of ethical and moral responsibility in the investment policies of Brown University. ACCRIP also examined all proxy resolutions concerning issues of social responsibility that have been presented to the University as a shareholder, and developed guidelines for voting on such resolutions. Over this time period, ACCRIP considered issues including but not limited to investments in fossil fuels, investments in support of the Sudanese government, and investments in support of tobacco companies.

The transition to ACURM responded directly to concerns raised by faculty about the narrow charge of ACCRIP. During the 2019-2020 academic year, a working group led by the Faculty Executive Committee developed a committee charge to expand the mandate such that the president and members of the community can bring pressing issues concerning core University values without being limited solely to matters of investment policy.

At the May 2020 Faculty Meeting, the faculty approved a motion to amend the Faculty Rules and Regulations, effective July 1, 2020, for the purpose of creating the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management (ACURM) as a successor committee to the Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRIP).