University welcomes the Class of ’05

Opening ceremonies held; classes begin Thursday

By: Jeff Milgram
   To Paul Hargadon, Princeton University’s dean of admissions, the 1,185 incoming freshmen who will begin classes on Thursday aren’t mere statistics.
   "To those of us in admissions, they are 1,185 individual short stories who, collectively, make up an exceptional group of freshmen," Mr. Hargadon said. "These 1,185 individual freshmen, alas, will most likely read about themselves only in tabular form: 46 percent are on scholarship; 31 percent of those who are either U.S. citizens or permanent residents are from one or another minority background; around 9 to 10 percent are international students; and more than 14 percent are sons and daughters of Princeton graduates."
   Opening exercises were held Sunday in the University Chapel and classes begin Thursday.
   "The 1,185 new undergraduates, in what I am sure will become the great class of 2005, hail from 48 states and 41 countries, from such places as Winnipeg in Canada, my own hometown; Istanbul, Turkey; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Humble, Texas," the university’s new president, Shirley Tilghman, told the freshmen Sunday. "I will always feel a special attachment to your class, as we will be experiencing our freshman years together."
   She welcomed the students and their parents to "a very unusual family, one that thinks that there is no occasion for which orange and black are not appropriate colors … and one in which the tiger will never be an endangered species."
   Dr. Tilghman, a molecular biologist by training, told the students that learning is not the same as "making deposits in a mental bank."
   Instead, she said, "We intend for you to seek knowledge by understanding how it is generated.
   "Lasting learning is fundamentally an active process. It requires an engaged mind, an open mind, a persistent mind," Dr. Tilghman said. "It means that you don’t take things on faith, but rather question everything."
   According to university officials, the freshmen class is about 20 students above the original target of 1,165 because more students than anticipated decided to enroll.
   In fact, Princeton officials said, so many students decided to enroll that they were not able to enroll anyone on the wait list.
   In addition to the freshmen, Princeton will enroll about 550 new graduate students.
   "Given that our trustees announced last winter that our students would no longer be asked to take out loans as part of their financial aid, the difference to be made up entirely by additional grant aid, we anticipated that our yield might increase this year," Mr. Hargadon said. "So we made fewer initial offers of admission than last year, figuring we could use our wait list to come up to the precise number if need be."
   But the percentage of accepted students who decided to go to Princeton increased from 68 percent to 71 percent, making it impossible to admit anyone from the wait list, university officials said.
   Here are some facts and figures about Princeton’s enrollment:
   •There are 614 men and 571 women in the incoming freshman class.
   •Total undergraduate enrollment at Princeton this fall is expected to be more than 4,600.
   •New graduate enrollment is down slightly from last year’s record of 573 students, but is in line with the Graduate School’s enrollment plan.
   Graduate School Dean John Wilson said he is pleased with the caliber of new students.
   "Princeton took two initiatives last spring that position it as exceptionally attractive for students seeking the Ph.D. degree," he said. "First-year fellowships for all entering students in sciences and engineering, and summer stipends for all years of study in humanities and social sciences programs provide very generous support that will affect student decisions both about applying to and attending Princeton."
   •Seventy percent of the new graduate students are enrolled in doctoral programs; the rest are in master’s programs. The Graduate School is bringing in its first class of 26 students pursuing a master of finance degree, a two-year program offered through the Bendheim Center for Finance.
   •In the entering group of graduate students, 44 percent are international students, 36 percent are women, 4 percent are black, 5 percent are Hispanic and 24 percent are Asian-American.
   • Overall, the Graduate School anticipates registering a total of 1,965 graduate students for the 2001-2002 academic year.