At Princeton University's 276th Commencement, President Christopher L. Eisgruber encouraged graduating students to “let your voices rise” to protect two important values: free speech and equality.
“When people talk about free speech rights in America, they often depict them as the legacy of the American founding in the 18th century,…
In his address to the Princeton Class of 2022, President Eisgruber focused on the value of persistence to the graduating students' achievements.
"You earned your degrees today in many ways and for many reasons, but not least because you persisted brilliantly throughout your time on this campus and away from it," he said. "You persisted not only through a world-altering pandemic, but through problem sets, writing assignments, laboratories, midterms, finals, senior theses, dissertations, and the personal crises and doubts that are an inevitable part of college life and, indeed, of life more generally."
President Eisgruber went on to describe why getting across the finish line and earning a degree matters today.
"[Getting a college degree] correlates with everything from higher incomes to better health to greater civic engagement—and the list goes on...which is why we celebrate Commencement day with admiration and exuberant joy."
And while "graduation rates for Princeton students remain sky-high," President Eisgruber explained that this was not necessarily true for other colleges and universities.
“Some students left school during the pandemic and have not returned. Some high school students who might have gone to college have made other choices instead. Though the data is incomplete, both problems appear to have a disproportionate effect on students from less advantaged backgrounds and those who attend community colleges and other public, two-year institutions.”
To this, he commended Governor Murphy's 'Some College, No Degree' program, which would assist the nearly 700,000 New Jersey students who left school without finishing and expressed hoped that the New Jersey Legislature would fund the program.
The summer is typically a quieter time on Princeton’s campus, providing an opportunity for reflection. This issue of @princeton.edu does just that, featuring a two-part series that looks back on teaching a pandemic, a glimpse at what is happening on and around campus moving forward, and, a peek at some of the research underway at the University. But first, a call to action by Princeton’s president, Chris Eisgruber and other higher education and business leaders urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act of 2021 to provide a path to citizenship and end “this constant rollercoaster of lawsuits and uncertainty.”
This issue of @princeton.edu features Princeton University’s 2021 commencement which included awards for four outstanding New Jersey secondary teachers and six honorary degree recipients from around the state; an update on the University’s ongoing effort to address racism; and highlights the research underway at the University.
This issue of "@princeton.edu" looks at several new studies led by Princeton University researchers to make predictions about the future of the environment in the United States and around the globe. Read on to learn more about sea-level rise risks and migration, research that tackles water challenges around the globe, and new ‘see-through soil’ that could help farmers deal with future droughts.
This issue of "@princeton.edu" looks at these groundbreaking advances, as well as several ways in which the University has made a continued commitment to the Princeton community and to New Jersey’s innovation economy.
This issue of @princeton.edu shares stories of programs already underway at the University to increase the diversity of students in higher education, from college preparation to PhD programs. We also include a series of articles to commemorate 50 years of excellence in environmental research and some policy and politics podcasts featuring Princeton faculty.