National focus for Alumni Day

Gen. David H. Petraeus *87

Staff Sgt. Bradley Lail, U.S. Air Force

National concerns will take center stage at Alumni Day Feb. 20, as Princeton honors two graduates well known for public service: James A. Leach ’64, chairman of the National Endow­ment for the Humanities; and Gen. David H. Petraeus *87, leader of the U.S. Central Command.  

The annual celebration, which has a more academic focus than Reunions, is expected to draw about 1,200 people. Petraeus, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will open the day with a 9:15 a.m. lecture in Richardson Audi­torium. His topic: “Update from the USCENTCOM Commander.”  

Petraeus is receiving the Madison Medal, Princeton’s highest honor for a graduate alumnus.

Leach’s talk (as of mid-January, the topic was not available) will follow at 10:30 a.m. Leach, a Republican, served in Congress from 1977 to 2007, chairing the House Banking Committee and the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs and co-founding the Congressional Humanities Caucus. He is known for his bipartisan efforts in Congress, and President Obama nominated him for his NEH post in June.  

Leach, who has been a trustee and visiting professor, is receiving the Woodrow Wilson Award, the highest honor for an undergraduate alumnus.

Other highlights include the annual luncheon in Jadwin Gymnasium, the Service of Remem­brance for University community members who have died in the past year, a workshop on “Managing Your Career in the Current Market,” and talks by Princeton faculty on the Supreme Court, the financial crisis, feminist activism, and other ­topics.  

See a full schedule and registration infor­mation at alumni.princeton.edu.