Two Centuries In, Princeton’s Alumni Association Is Going Strong

America isn’t the only one celebrating a big birthday this year — Princeton’s Alumni Association is turning 200! Alumni have been and will be marking the milestone across the globe, beginning at Alumni Day in February through Orange and Black Day on Oct. 22, and especially during Reunions.

“Our 200th anniversary celebrates all that we have accomplished and the growth we’ve shared over the years in close partnership with the University,” said Ryan Ruskin ’90, president of the Alumni Association and chair of the Alumni Council, at Alumni Day. “Our goals for this milestone are simple: to engage as many alumni in the celebration around the world as possible and to encourage alumni to log into TigerNet … and forge new connections with each other.”

Throughout Reunions, all of Princeton, not just the University, will be the place to party, with vendors along Nassau Street and throughout town getting in on the fun. The Graduate Hotel, both locations of Small World Coffee, and the Yankee Doodle Tap Room plan to offer specialty drinks. The Bent Spoon will feature a commemorative ice cream flavor, and Jammin’ Crepes will sell both orange-and-black gift packs as well as 20-layer orange-and-black crepe cakes. The Nassau Inn is offering a limited-edition challenge coin.

On Friday after the Alumni Council meeting, all alumni should head to Cannon Green to form a giant “200” that will be aerially photographed. Before the P-rade, everyone will receive special “200” sunglasses, but even with those on, you won’t be able to miss the six-foot, foam, 3D “200” sculpture marching along the route.

Those who can’t make it to campus, or who don’t want to stop the party after Reunions, can still share a “Tiger Tale” — a memory with or without a photo — to a digital board on the 200th website (200.alumni.princeton.edu), and can purchase special 200th merchandise from the U-store online or in person.

In addition, regional and affinity groups are hosting festive anniversary-related gatherings through October, which can be tracked on an interactive map on the website. Some activities are supported by the 200th Spark Fund, which “fuels innovative alumni initiatives that transcend traditional programming” and commemorates the anniversary, according to the website. The final deadline to apply to have your gathering funded is Aug. 2. Projects ranging from a four-day stay in Las Vegas (for the Princeton Alumni Association of Nevada) to a StoryCorps-style collection of oral histories (by the Princeton Club of St. Louis) have already been funded.

Fun facts about the Alumni Association were posed as trivia questions at Alumni Day and can be found, along with all other 200th anniversary details, at 200.alumni.princeton.edu. Did you know that less than a decade after serving as U.S. president, James Madison 1771 was named president of the Alumni Association? That the first alumni directory was published in 1888? Or that Princeton didn’t adopt orange and black as the University’s official colors until 1896? Now, you do!