Parents at Princeton
Princeton Parents Association
All parents are members of the Princeton Parents Association and are invited to become involved in the life of the University by participating in campus and regional programs.
Regional Princeton associations include parents and alumni working together to host annual receptions for incoming freshmen and their parents and to encourage other parents to attend local association meetings, especially when University representatives make presentations. The associations send parents mailings and recruit them as members.
Educational Programs
The University welcomes the participation of Princeton parents in a range of programs offered through the Alumni Association. Led by faculty members, these opportunities enable parents and alumni to take advantage of the educational resources of Princeton while forging friendships within the University community. Princeton Journeys features travel to diverse destinations in the company of Princeton study leaders carefully selected for their area expertise, providing participants with a truly unique and intimate learning experience. The Alumni Studies program is a home-study program that permits exploration of a particular topic or theme under the guidance of Princeton faculty. Popular on-campus lecture series, such as the Fall Football Lectures and the Maclean House Lectures, attract hundreds of participants each year, and are often videotaped and made available online for the enjoyment of parents, friends, and alumni who live at a distance from campus. Also available online is Tiger Tomes: Princeton’s Online Book Club, which features recent fiction and nonfiction selections written by faculty and alumni.
For information about upcoming programs, sign up for the Alumni Education Newsletter, which is distributed monthly by e-mail, by contacting Kaitlin Lutz, assistant director for alumni education, at klutz@princeton.edu or 609-258-0014. Or, sign up online at http://alumni.princeton.edu/main/education_travel/alumnied_newsletter/.
Princeton parents are invited to join the TigerNet online discussion group, Tiger-Families, which was established to enable parents to raise questions and exchange views pertaining to many aspects of the Princeton experience. The purpose of this e-mail link is to keep parents better informed about University affairs and more engaged in the Princeton “family.” For further information, e-mail tigernet@alumni.princeton.edu.
Princeton Parents News
Parents receive Princeton Parents News, an eight-page newsletter, two times per year while their daughter or son is at Princeton. Each issue contains news, photos, and features of interest to parents.
Princeton Parents Fund
The quality of a Princeton education depends on the generous gifts made each year to Annual Giving by all members of the Princeton family—alumni, parents, and friends. The Parents Committee, whose members reach out to other families to ask for support, is a way for parents to become involved, meet other Princeton families, and provide tangible, critical support for the University. Nearly 3,500 parents participated in the 2007–08 annual campaign, which raised more than $2 million for undergraduate education. To learn more about the Parents Fund, please contact the director, Beth Way, at 609-258-2344 or bway@princeton.edu.
Special Events for Parents
Orientation Week begins Saturday, September 6, 2008. For most freshman parents, bringing a new Princetonian to campus is their first activity at Princeton. All family members are welcome to have lunch at the residential colleges and are invited to receptions in the colleges in the afternoon.
Special Preorientation Programs. Freshmen participating in Community Action and Outdoor Action arrive on campus Saturday, August 30; the residential colleges host receptions for parents that afternoon.
Freshman Parents Weekend is Friday through Sunday, October 10 to 12, 2008. Parents are invited to meet President Shirley M. Tilghman and attend faculty lectures; discussions on academic, residential, and campus life; and extracurricular activities. They may also tour campus facilities and attend cultural and sporting events.
Parents are also encouraged to join other members of the Princeton family at Alumni Day/Parents Program on Saturday, February 21, 2009. Parents, alumni, and friends are invited to participate in lectures, panel discussions, and various other activities. Alumni Day offers an easy, stimulating entry into the life of the University in session.
Parents of graduating seniors are welcome to attend Reunions, Thursday through Friday of Commencement weekend, for an additional fee. Information will be given out at senior checkout in the spring.
Commencement. Parents and families of graduating seniors are, of course, invited to various Commencement events, including the Baccalaureate Service (May 31, 2009), Class Day (Monday, June 1, 2009), the Senior Prom (Monday, June 1, 2009), and Commencement itself (Tuesday, June 2, 2009).
Friends Groups
Parents are invited to join any “Friends” groups on campus—such as the Friends of the Art Museum or the Friends of Tennis. We invite you to become an active member of the Princeton family.