As delivered

In a few minutes, all of you will walk out of this stadium as newly minted graduates of this University.  Before you do, however, it is my privilege to offer a few words about your time here and the path that lies ahead.

I want to begin by saying something about the honorary degrees that we…

It is customary at the Service of Remembrance, a Princeton tradition since 1919, for the University president to dedicate the Memorial Wreath at the end of the ceremony.

This year, I have also asked for the privilege of saying a few words at this point in the program.

Since last May, our campus has lost six young people…

Three years after the novel coronavirus appeared on the scene, Princeton’s residential, scholarly community is nearly, if not fully, restored to its pre-pandemic state. Our campus again pulses with vital energy, personal interaction, and creative inspiration.

Classes are meeting without the restrictions needed last year. Workshops,…

I had the privilege of sitting down recently with the Philadelphia Inquirer for a wide-ranging conversation about how Princeton is preparing for the coming Supreme Court decision on affirmative action. 

Reporter Sue Snyder and I discussed why diversity is essential for the pursuit of excellence in higher education, how…

"A Burst of Momentum for Fusion Energy" was first published in the February issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

For more than 70 years, Princeton University has been a major center of fusion energy research, pursuing one of the grandest challenges…

Service Through a New LENS first appeared in the January 2023 issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

In the first PAW page of my presidency, back in September 2013, I emphasized that an ethic of service was fundamental to Princeton’s mission. I called…

I am thrilled to be one of more than 400 people leading a Princeton Wintersession course this month.  For me, Wintersession provides an opportunity to brainstorm with students about a question that keeps me up at night:  how do online media affect us, and what can we do to achieve a healthy civic discourse in this rapidly changing…

Published in the Daily Princetonian

Last month, a reporter from The Daily Princetonian asked for my views about the relationship between academic rigor and mental health.

I said what I believe: that a challenging, high-aspiration…

Princeton’s Tradition of Institutional Restraint first appeared in the November 2022 issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

When I was a Princeton undergraduate, University departments communicated…

On Free Speech first appeared in the November 2022 issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

This year, Princeton’s orientation program for incoming undergraduates included a new module on free speech. I spoke to the entering students at that session. Here…