From the Editor

The evening of Friday, Oct. 19, had been billed as Princeton’s big celebration — a time to mark the success of the Aspire campaign: $1.88 billion raised, more than $242,300 for every undergrad and grad student on campus. And indeed, it was the greatest campus bash of the year. Until the next afternoon, that is.

That’s when Princeton’s much-maligned football team did the unimaginable and ended Harvard’s 14-game winning streak, claiming sole possession of first place in the Ivy League. The spontaneous outpouring of joy in the football stands — delirium, actually — was a full-throated exclamation point to the polished party the evening before. 

At the Aspire event, more than 1,000 alumni volunteers and donors and their guests were rewarded with an impressive show that illustrated how their money was being spent – from financial aid, to neuroscience, to the arts, with much in between. You can see coverage of the event on page 12. 

The production was flawless, as Princeton celebrations tend to be. 

But though President Tilghman delivered her lines perfectly Friday night, it was even more wonderful when she jumped out of her seat, shouting with glee, on Saturday afternoon. 

By the time you are reading this, we will know how Princeton fared against Yale. It’s possible that the Tigers will have fallen from the league’s top spot. No matter. In its dramatic victory against Harvard, the football team brought pure joy to Tigertown — and that’s something no one can plan.