PrincetonUniversity

Office of Communications, Stanhope Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 USA
Tel 609/258-3601; Fax 609/258-1301
 

Fifteen Important Moments
in Princeton History

1. October 22, 1746
The founding trustees are awarded a royal charter by the provincial governor to establish an institution of higher learning.

2. May 27, 1747
The first class of students of the College of New Jersey meets at the parsonage of the Rev. Mr. Jonathan Dickinson in Elizabeth, NJ. The first commencement will take place in November, 1748.

3. November 28, 1757
The College of New Jersey meets in Nassau Hall, in Princeton, for the first time. In the summer of 1783, The Continental Congress convenes at Nassau Hall for three months, making it the capitol of the nation.

4. Summer 1787
Nine graduates of the College of New Jersey are delegates to the Constitutional Convention, more than from any other college.

5. Summer 1843
The college calendar is adjusted to move the opening of the fall term to August, from November. This changes Commencement to late June, from late September.

6. April 1861
The College of New Jersey, with a broad geographical distribution of students, is torn asunder by the commencement of the Civil War, but maintains its academic program throughout the hostilities.

7. November 22, 1864
Princeton's first intercollegiate athletic contest: the baseball nine defeats Williams (26-16). Claimed to be the first intercollegiate baseball game ever played.

8. October 1868
Dr. James McCosh arrives from Scotland by way of Ireland to assume the presidency. He reorganizes the plan of study and introduces a graduate-level curriculum leading to the Ph.D., first awarded in 1879.

9. October 22, 1896
The College of New Jersey officially changes its name to Princeton University on the occasion of its Sesquicentennial. Gothic Revival architecture is introduced around this time.

10. June 9, 1902
Woodrow Wilson is elected president of the university. He will revolutionize teaching, via his "precept plan".

11. 1947
Princeton graduates its first black students. John Howard receives his degree February 5, 1947. Later that year degrees go to "Pete" Wilson (conferred 6/9/47) and to James War (conferred 10/1/47).

12. September 1956
Princeton Class of 1960 matriculates, the majority having had a public -- rather than private -- school education.

13. January 12, 1969
Trustees resolve to implement plans for undergraduate co-education. (The Graduate School matriculated the first woman graduate student in 1961.)

14. May 1970
Colleges around the nation adopt the "Princeton Plan" in response to the student unrest following the Cambodian incursion in Southeast Asia.

15. October 1996
Princeton celebrates 250 years of dedication to scholarship, teaching and service to the nation.
 

top   Web page feedback