Alumni Day expected to bring 1,000-plus back to campus

Denny Chin ’75

Courtesy U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit

About 1,200 people are expected to return to campus Feb. 26 for Alumni Day. In addition to the annual staples — including lectures and the Service of Remembrance honoring University community members who have died during the last year — alumni may tour the new Frick chemistry building, which has what University architect Ron McCoy *80 calls the “most stunning interior space on campus since the Chapel.”

The day begins with a lecture by Madison Medalist Elaine Fuchs *77, the Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor in Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at Rockefeller University in New York, on “Skin Stem Cells: Their Biology and Clinical Promise” at 9:15 a.m. in Richardson Auditorium.    

Woodrow Wilson Award winner Denny Chin ’75, who serves on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, will speak on “The Life of a Judge: From Megan’s Law to Bernie Madoff” at 10:30 a.m in Richardson Auditorium. A federal judge since 1994, Chin has presided over the trial of convicted financier Madoff and the proposed Google book-search settlement, among other high-profile cases.  

Highlights of the day include the annual luncheon in Jadwin Gymnasium, a workshop for social-networking novices, and a panel with the first students to participate in Princeton’s bridge-year program. Alumni may hear faculty members speak on topics ranging from illegal immigration to Greek tragedy and attend family favorites such as Dean of Admission Janet Rapelye’s session on the college-application process and a child-friendly chemistry demonstration by lecturer Kathryn Wagner and her students.  

The previous day, Princeton AlumniCorps, formerly Princeton Project 55, will hold a conference on “finding new uses for your wisdom, experience, and passion” in midlife.