APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION set a record for the fifth straight year, with 21,869 students seeking a spot in the Class of 2013. The University said that applications have increased 60 percent in the past six years. The Class of 2013 is expected to enroll 1,300 students — the largest number of freshmen in Princeton’s history. Gender balance among the applicants was even, and the percentage seeking financial aid increased from 70 percent a year ago to 75 percent.  

The University sold $1 BILLION IN LONG-TERM TAXABLE BONDS Jan. 13, taking ad-vantage of favorable interest rates and providing what spokeswoman Cass Cliatt ’96 termed “additional working capital flexibility and stability for the operating budget.” The bond sale was split evenly between 10-year 4.95 percent notes and 30-year 5.7 percent bonds, Cliatt said. The University has an additional $1.5 billion in outstanding debt.  

Graduate alumni played a key role as 75 Princeton graduate students gathered on campus for the second annual LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Jan. 17. The focus was academic leadership, and topics ranged from developing a research program and mentoring students to en-countering ethical issues. Among the speakers were Alice P. Gast *84, president of Lehigh University, and Janet L. Holmgren *74, president of Mills College. The event developed out of discussions among alumni and administrators, said Dean William B. Russel, dean of the Graduate School.  

Princeton’s BRIDGE-YEAR PROGRAM will begin in the fall with 20 students who will take part in nine-month community-development projects in Peru, Ghana, Serbia, and India, the University said. Princeton is partnering with three organizations with experience in service- learning programs: ProWorld Service Corps, World Learning, and Where There Be Dragons. Newly admitted students accepted for the program will delay the start of classwork for a year. The University will cover all core program expenses.