Members of the Class of 2003 celebrate their graduation as they pass through FitzRandolph Gate.

photos: Denise Applewhite

PrincetonUniversity
 

Princeton holds 256th Commencement

by Jennifer Greenstein Altmann and Steven Schultz
Princeton University awarded degrees to 1,117 undergraduates and 695 graduate students at its 256th Commencement Tuesday.

President Shirley M. Tilghman congratulated the graduates and challenged them to build on their educations to work for the good of others.

"Without question the world you will enter in just a few minutes when you walk out those gates is a very different place from the day you arrived in Princeton," said Tilghman. "But whatever your elders have accomplished, for good or ill, it is now your world -- and it is your turn to shape it so that the world you bequeath to the next generation is better than the one that you now inherit."

During the ceremony, four Princeton faculty members received President's Awards for Distinguished Teaching: Robert Gunning, professor of mathematics; Joshua Katz, assistant professor of classics; Harvey Rosen, the John Weinberg Professor of Economics and Business Policy; and Elaine Showalter, the Avalon Foundation Professor of the Humanities.

Princeton also recognized four outstanding New Jersey secondary school teachers.

The valedictory oration was delivered by Peggy Ping Hsu from Bethlehem, Pa. Hsu, a molecular biology major, recounted experiences -- profound, mundane and funny -- that characterized her experience at Princeton, particularly the important learning that occurred outside of the classroom. She spoke about volunteering, working in a compost heap after midnight and conducting laboratory research on yeast.

"Looking forward, my greatest hope for myself and for all of you is to be perpetually idealistic," said Hsu. "Not a naïve idealism, but an educated one. From our studies at Princeton, we should know by now that most interesting and pertinent problems have complex solutions. World peace won't be possible tomorrow, and I wonder if it will ever be. But we should all hold some ideal in our hearts, some vision for our world and our own lives."

Salutatorian Jesse Liebman, of New York City, who received a bachelor's degree in classics, addressed his classmates and their guests in Latin while wearing a garland of leaves on his head. The Latin Salutatory, which dates back to an era when the entire ceremony was conducted in Latin, began as a serious, formal address but today contains humorous tributes, recollections and a farewell to Princeton campus life.

Other honors for the new graduates were presented over the last few days. Seniors were recognized at Class Day ceremonies Monday, and the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni honored five graduate students for excellence in teaching.

Five hundred seventy men and 532 women in the class of 2003 received degrees Tuesday. Of those, 929 were awarded bachelor of arts degrees and 173 received bachelor of science in engineering degrees. Six degrees were awarded to students from earlier classes and nine undergraduate degrees were awarded earlier in the academic year.

About 44 percent of the class, or 484 students, received honors. Of these, 105 students graduated with highest honors, 156 with high honors and 223 with honors.

The 695 advanced degrees awarded today included: 260 doctor of philosophy degrees, 269 master of arts degrees, 53 master in public affairs degrees, 23 master in finance degrees, 21 master in architecture degrees, 20 master of science in engineering degrees, 17 master of engineering degrees, 14 master in public policy degrees, 12 master in public affairs and urban and regional planning degrees, four master of fine arts degrees and two master in Near Eastern studies degrees.

Tilghman concluded her address by telling the students that, in addition to their intellectual and social development, they will rely on the values of integrity and courage if they are to succeed in effecting change. "Courage is hard," she said, "and the times we need to draw upon it are generally not of our own choosing and frequently arise without warning. By fostering an intellectual and residential community where integrity, tolerance and respect for others are paramount, Princeton has tried to create safe and fertile ground for your courage to be expressed, and I am proud of the ways in which you have shown individual courage over these last years.

"The challenges will be much greater and the havens will be less safe after you walk out FitzRandolph Gate," Tilghman continued, "but I am confident that you will carry with you the spirit of Princeton and that it will give you courage as well as comfort in the years to come."