More than 1,000 Princeton University alumni and guests are registered to participate in the 100th anniversary of Alumni Day on campus. The celebration will span Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20 and 21.
First observed in 1915, Alumni Day was designed to give alumni a glimpse of campus life when the University was in session. Alumni Day 2015 will highlight the Princeton of today and will feature presentations by alumni, faculty and students; interactive enrichment sessions; networking opportunities; and social activities.
On the morning of Feb. 21, Princeton will present its top honors for alumni. Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, a member of the Class of 1973, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award. Graduate alumnus Martin Eakes, CEO of Self-Help and the Center for Responsible Lending, will receive the Madison Medal. The honorees will each give an address in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.
Attendees at the first Alumni Day in 1915 gather on the steps of Nassau Hall after a meeting in the Faculty Room. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, Feb. 15, 1915)
Other highlights of the Alumni Day program, coordinated by the Office of Alumni Affairs, include:
• A student-alumni conversation on women and the eating clubs;
• A kick-off event focusing on the concept of language led by faculty and students across academic disciplines;
• 100th anniversary celebration in the Frick Laboratory atrium;
• Interactive presentations by Princeton faculty and staff members;
• Alumni Day reception and awards presentation in Jadwin Gymnasium;
• A service of remembrance in the University Chapel to honor deceased Princeton alumni, students, and University faculty and staff members;
• A student panel on activism taking place on campus and efforts to change the climate for students of color;
• Networking and social opportunities.
Alumni listen to morning speeches in Richardson Auditorium on Alumni Day in 2014. (Photo by Denise Applewhite, Office of Communications)
Alumni Day is not open to the public, but Princeton faculty, staff and students are invited to attend the lectures, panels, workshops, luncheon and service of remembrance. Registration is required.
All Alumni Day attendees will need to pick up a nametag as their ticket to all events. On Feb. 20, nametag pickup and walk-in registration will be in the Frick Chemistry Laboratory atrium from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. On Feb. 21, nametag pickup will be from 8 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. in Maclean House and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Jadwin Gym lobby.
For a complete schedule and registration information, visit the Alumni Association website or call 609-258-1900.
Alumni are invited to attend other campus events held over the weekend, including exhibits, the performing arts and athletics.
People can follow Alumni Day using the #PrincetonAlumniDay hashtag on the Alumni Association's Facebook and Twitter.
At Alumni Day in 1976, Princeton President William G. Bowen (from right) stands with Pyne Prize winners Sonia Sotomayor and J. David Germany; Eric Lander, Freshman First Honor Prize winner; and University Trustee R. Manning Brown. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Weekly Bulletin, March 8, 1976)
The annual service of remembrance in the University Chapel honors Princeton alumni, students, faculty and staff who have died in the past year. (Photo by Sameer Kahn/Fotobuddy)
Alumni gather in Baker Rink in 1946 for the Alumni Day luncheon. Today, Jadwin Gymnasium is the location of the luncheon and awards ceremony. The first Alumni Day luncheon in 1915 was held the Great Hall of the Graduate College, now known as Proctor Hall. (Photo courtesy of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, March 8, 1946)
