In Short: Trevor Noah and Ruth J. Simmons to Address Class of 2021

Comedian, author, and Daily Show host Trevor Noah, above left, and Prairie View A&M University President Ruth J. Simmons will address the Class of 2021 at virtual CLASS DAY AND BACCALAUREATE CEREMONIES May 15. Class Day co-chair Michael Wang ’21 said in a release that “Noah’s comedy is a powerful tool for both bringing joy to many and addressing the pressing issues of today.” Simmons, a former president of Brown University and Smith College, took the helm at Prairie View, a historically Black university in her home state of Texas, in 2017. She served Princeton in several faculty and administrative roles in the 1980s and ’90s, including vice provost, before leaving for Smith in 1995.

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In the first 10 weeks of the semester (Jan. 30–April 9), Princeton’s ASYMPTOMATIC COVID-19 TESTING PROGRAM identified 49 positive cases among undergraduates. More than 65,000 tests were administered to undergrads, with a positivity rate of 0.075 percent, according to the University’s COVID-19 dashboard. Seven additional undergrads tested positive in symptomatic testing during the same time period. The University reported 19 positive cases among graduate students and 70 among faculty, staff, and others in the campus testing program this semester. 

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Sarah-Jane Leslie *07

Photo: Denise Applewhite/Office of Communications

Graduate School Dean SARAH-JANE LESLIE *07 will step down from her administrative role July 1 and resume her faculty responsibilities. Leslie, the Class of 1943 Professor of Philosophy, has served as dean since January 2018. In a University release, she said she was proud of the Graduate School’s progress in diversifying the student body and its creation of GradFUTURES, a professional-development program launched in 2019. President Eisgruber ’83 called Leslie “a dynamic and innovative leader” and thanked her for her service in the administration. Cole Crittenden *05, who has been serving as acting dean during Leslie’s maternity leave this year, will continue in that role until a successor is appointed.

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Global Seminars, intensive language offerings, and select undergraduate math and physics courses will be OFFERED ONLINE THIS SUMMER, according to a letter from Dean of the College Jill Dolan and Vice President for Campus Life Rochelle Calhoun. The University also will provide summer housing for rising seniors conducting thesis research that requires access to Princeton laboratories, archival or special collections, or other physical resources on campus. Academic departments must approve the applications and confirm that individuals can be accommodated under social-distancing protocols.

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The University announced a MAJOR GIFT FROM LYDIA B. AND WILLIAM M. ADDY ’82 to support the expansion of the undergraduate student body. A dormitory in Perelman College, one of the two new residential colleges being built south of Poe Field, will be named Addy Hall. The University did not release the amount of the gift. William Addy is the executive chairman of ISN Software Corp., which he founded in 2001. Two of the couple’s four sons are Princeton graduates.