Today, Christopher Eisgruber, provost of the University for the past nine years, was chosen as the 20th president of Princeton University, succeeding Shirley Tilghman as she steps down at the end of the academic year.
After almost 40 minutes of waiting in Maclean House (hopefully this new administration will get better at punctuality) news organizations were allowed into the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall, filled with members of the Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee. NJ Governor Chris Christie was also there, although I noticed him nodding off to sleep every so often (see photos below).
According to Eisgruber, he only found out early this morning that he had been chosen as the president. He will be the first president to have received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton since Robert Goheen, who served from 1957 to 1972.
Some highlights from the press conference in Nassau Hall:
Eisgruber opened by saying “It is a great joy for me to accept this appointment… This university has shaped my life ever since i set foot on this campus as a freshman 34 years ago. That time, as a student, then as an alumnus and a faculty member has given me a heartfelt appreciation for Princeton’s special strengths.”
President Tilghman expressed her utmost confidence in Eisgruber, asserting that ”April the 21st will go down as a great day in Princeton history.”
Eisgruber and Governor Christie shaking hands after press conference. Eisgruber approached Christie to thank him for coming.
Speaking about the importance of Princeton’s financial aid program, Eisgruber said “A place at Princeton is a gift. One that can transform the life of any student, faculty member, or other scholar… we have an obligation to ensure that this gift is fully available to the entire range of people.”
Responding to criticism in newspapers about the worthiness of the high price of a Princeton education, Eisgruber said that a liberal arts education is still critically important to any young scholar. “Not only is a liberal arts degree still an economic benefit,” he said. “[But] the benefit of a college degree is increasing over time.”
Eisgruber, Tilghman, and Kathryn Hall, Chair of the Board of Trustees, sitting at the end of a long table of journalists, answering questions
Calling community-wide conversation “a very good thing,” he emphasized the important of continuation saying that “Princeton traditions are living things. They are constantly being renewed, refreshed, reinvigorated and re-created.”
Governor Christie said that he’s known about the decision since yesterday. Christie also said that Eisgruber “isn’t going to need a manual about this place” since he has been at the University as both an undergraduate and as a faculty member. He also mentioned that President Tilghman has told him that he is one of the governors that has gotten most involved in the University in the ex-officio capacity in which NJ governors sit on the University’s board.
Christie on his phone at the press conference
