Free Princeton

I applaud Princo’s bold but careful stewardship that has led this year to a nearly 50 percent increase in Princeton’s endowment (On the Campus, December issue). This provides a great opportunity for Princeton to demonstrate leadership among its highly endowed peers: Make a Princeton education free. Rather than simply expand the administration, and before Harvard and Yale realize a similar opportunity, there should now be adequate resources (less than 1 percent annual draw) to cover at least tuition, fees, and related expenses for all undergraduates. Thousands of secondary school students would be attracted early in their planning to an excellent education without concerns about the complexities and uncertainties of navigating financial aid. Princeton would have an immediate competitive advantage for the best of the best. The substantial increase in our endowment can thus power Venture Forward “to a day when Princeton can offer a transformative educational experience to a greater number of talented students, regardless of their socioeconomic background,” as the advertisement in the December issue said.