In Short

Cason ’23 and Allport ’23

Photos courtesy of Cason ’23, Allport ’23

As higher education awaits the Supreme Court’s ruling on the future of affirmative action, President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 defended the use of race “as one factor among others in a holistic admission process” and reiterated that racial diversity “is essential to Princeton’s academic and scholarly excellence” in his annual State of the University letter, published Jan. 31.

“If the court imposes new restrictions upon us, we must of course comply with them — but we will also be creative and persistent in our efforts to preserve and build upon the diversity of our scholarly and educational community,” Eisgruber wrote. “That diversity is a source of great strength to this University, and it will be essential to our future and the future of this country.” Read more here.

Shaun Cason ’23 and Anna Allport ’23 received one of Princeton’s highest honors, the 2023 Sachs Scholarship, named for Daniel Sachs ’60. Cason, a transfer student and 15-year Marine Corps veteran who is majoring in history, will pursue a master’s degree in late antique and Byzantine studies at the University of Oxford. The scholarship, he said, was a win for the veteran community on campus. Allport, an independent concentrator in interdisciplinary theater and performance studies and a PAW student writer, will pursue a master of fine arts degree with a focus on K-12 arts education, which she called “a vital catalyst for analytical thinking.”

The University will raise the minimum full-time salary for its more than 700 postdoctoral researchers to $65,000 in March, according to a Jan. 27 announcement. The change marks an 18.5% increase over the federally required minimum, but it falls short of the $68,500 salary that a group of more than 400 postdocs had lobbied for in an open letter to Dean of the Faculty Gene Jarrett ’97 and Provost Deborah Prentice.

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Princeton University Library

Sidney Lapidus ’59 donated a collection of rare Revolution-era books and publications to the Princeton University Library, along with a financial gift that will be used to digitize the materials and make them openly available online, according to a University release. The Sid Lapidus ’59 Collection on Liberty and the American Revolution contains more than 2,700 books, atlases, pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines.

Princeton’s Committee on Naming has invited members of the University community to submit naming suggestions for spaces at Prospect House, which will be undergoing renovations from May 2023 through August 2024. The committee will be considering naming recommendations for a dozen spaces, including dining areas, meeting rooms, and the library. Proposed names can be submitted online here.

Executive Vice President Treby Williams ’84 will step down from her role as Princeton’s chief administrative officer at the end of June, after nearly 10 years in the role. Williams, a member of the University administration since 2005, plans to serve as a senior adviser for one year before retiring in 2024.