Education Reform Panelists

On November 8, Princeton AlumniCorps and the Princeton Club of Philadelphia collaborated to organize a panel discussion on education reform in Philadelphia.  Katie Thaeder ’09 introduced the panel. The panel featured Dr. Leroy Nunery, the acting CEO and Superintendent of the Philadelphia school district; Marc Mannella, CEO of KIPP Philadelphia; Edward Mensah, Director of Steppingstone Scholars; Alyson Goodner ’00, founder of The School Collective; and Matt Troha, Principal of Mastery Turnaround School Thomas Campus.  The panel was moderated by Rosalind Echols ’05, a high school teacher at the Science Leadership Academy.

Speaking from their experience as leaders and educators within the Philadelphia school system, the panelists identified key challenges and opportunities for reform within this historically under-achieving school district.  Questions and topics addressed included: how can Philadelphia attract the best teachers and keep them?  How can teachers from charter, public, and private schools collaborate to ensure that they are using the most innovative and effective learning techniques?  How does the School District work most effectively with the Teachers Union?  How do we provide a quality public education with limited funding that continues to be cut?

Katie Thaeder '09

The overall message of the evening was that while the challenges facing the Philadelphia’s educational system are difficult, they are not insurmountable.  As demonstrated by the panel, there are many dedicated educators and reformers who are committed to improving classrooms and making sure Philadelphia’s students are college-ready and are prepared for life in our new global system.

By Joseph Sengoba ‘10, 2011-2012 Project 55 Fellow and Katherine Chatelaine, Project 55 Fellowship Program Assistant

Princeton AlumniCorps is seeking a dynamic individual to guide, support, and facilitate the raising of funds for our organization. Title and salary will be determined based on previous experience.

Princeton AlumniCorps Development Position Announcement

Position Overview and Responsibilities
Princeton AlumniCorps is seeking a dynamic individual to guide, support, and facilitate the raising of funds for our organization. Title and salary will be determined based on previous experience.

Development
• Plan, organize, and implement an integrated and comprehensive annual development plan in collaboration with Executive Director and board of directors
• Develop cultivation/solicitation goals, strategies, and timelines; evaluating results and adjusting strategies on an on-going basis
• Write letters/proposals and develop supporting materials
• Work collaboratively with Executive Director, board, staff, and volunteers to support, foster, and leverage their involvement in fundraising efforts
• In conjunction with Board and Executive Director, establish long-range (3-5 year) development planning with interim objectives to aid in tracking progress
• Coordinate and grow foundation support, including identification and research, cultivation, grant writing, reporting, and tracking
• Oversee endowment fundraising efforts including individual gifts and encouraging planned giving.
• Oversee Raiser’s Edge and NetCommunity
• Staff the Development Steering Group (DSG), the Princeton AlumniCorps fundraising advisory group.
• Prepare progress reports for committee and board meetings

Outreach and Communications
• Serve on the Communications Committee to help develop a comprehensive communications plan that will support resource development and further Princeton AlumniCorps’ mission
• Work with program staff, Executive Director and local volunteers to organize local outreach and fundraising events
• Manage the creation of branded fundraising collateral pieces, including, but not limited to, appeals and supporting materials, annual report, newsletters, website, and other as needed
• Ensure that Princeton AlumniCorps’ brand and messaging are consistent across communications efforts
• Coordinate the production and distribution of Shared Effort, Princeton AlumniCorps’ quarterly newsletter
• Be a positive representative of Princeton AlumniCorps in the community and help create institutional visibility

Finance
• Maintain guidelines and policies for the acceptance, valuation, recording, acknowledgment, and stewardship of gifts
• Track gifts against pledges and challenge grants
• Manage and process stock gifts
• Run monthly reports for Executive Director, treasurer, and accountant
• Work with treasurer and accountant on reconciliation with bank accounts as needed

General
• Take on additional projects and responsibilities as requested
• Participate in general staff tasks
• Manage development intern

Skills and Qualifications
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Adept with building and maintaining relationships
• Strong attention to detail
• Flexibility
• Interest in marketing and communicating to diverse audiences
• Comfortable interacting with wide variety of constituents
• Sense of humor
• Steadiness under pressure
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and willingness to learn new technology
• Experience with Blackbaud software a plus
• Comfortable working in a small office environment
• Excitement for Princeton AlumniCorps mission and vision
• 1- 5 years of professional experience in the field of development and outreach
• Event planning experience a plus
• B.A./B.S.

Applicants should be willing to make a two-year commitment.

Salary
Starting salary will range from $40,000-$50,000 depending on previous experience, with potential for increase in subsequent years. Compensation includes medical and dental insurance, retirement benefits, 20 days of paid time off, and generous holidays.

Location
The position is located in the Princeton Project 55 office at 12 Stockton Street in Princeton, NJ.

Application Process
Interested individuals should email a resume and a letter of interest and qualifications, using subject line “AlumniCorps Development Position” by Tuesday, July 13, 2010 to Natasha Robinson, Development Officer at nrobinson@alumnicorps.org.
This will be an expedited interview and placement process. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis, so please submit your materials as soon as possible. The projected start date is August 3, 2010.

Sara has previously worked at the national non-profit for the UN Refugee Agency and she volunteers with Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer, both based in Washington, D.C. She has lived, studied and conducted primary research in South Africa. Sara holds a Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude in government and Africana studies from Franklin & Marshall College.

We are confident that Sara will bring energy, innovation, and continued success to PP55!

The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ

The Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, will be the keynote speaker for Princeton Project 55’s 20th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, May 27th, 2010!

Mayor Booker’s outstanding leadership of Newark, passion for justice and political change, commitment to education, and dedication to empowering individuals and families all commend him as a fitting speaker for the celebration of Project 55’s past 20 years.

“We are very pleased that the Honorable Cory Booker will be our keynote speaker for the Gala. The systemic changes he is implementing as the Mayor of Newark clearly resonate with the mission of our organization,” commented 20th Anniversary Committee Chair Anne-Marie Maman.

The Stanford University alum and Oxford Rhodes scholar earned his law degree from Yale before serving as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center in Newark. Mayor Booker then rose to prominence as Newark’s Central Ward Councilman in 1998. As Councilman, he earned a reputation for his innovative and bold leadership; he introduced dozens of legislation and resolutions impacting housing, youth, safety, and jobs to create a better government.

Following his electoral sweep in 2006, Mayor Booker has made notable strides in achieving the Newark city mission to set a national standard for urban transformation. Since his election, Newark has seen a 40% reduction in crime, and affordable housing production has doubled. Mayor Booker has also committed to a $40 million transformation of the city’s parks and playgrounds through public and private partnerships.

Mayor Booker’s achievements have merited him recognition in numerous publications, including Time, New Jersey Monthly, and The New York Times Magazine. His membership on numerous boards and advisory committees –including Democrats for Education Reform, Columbia University Teachers College Board of Trustees and the Black Alliance for Educational Options – reflect Mayor Booker’s strong commitment to education.

In October 2009, Mayor Booker was asked to deliver the Toni Morrison Lectures at Princeton University.  His imaginative leadership and dedication to changing lives through civil leadership highly qualified him to give the lectures, which spotlight the new and exciting work of scholars and writers who demonstrate the expansive literary imagination, intellectual adventurousness and political insightfulness that characterize the writing of Toni Morrison.

Project 55’s mission to inspire, enable, and promote the creation of public interest initiatives is one truly reflected in Mayor Booker’s civic leadership. It is certainly an honor to have Mayor Cory Booker join Princeton Project 55 as we celebrate the milestones that mark our 20 years of success.

During the committee's deliberations more than 300 possible new names were proposed and considered.

The change in our name culminates a two-year process growing out of our strategic plan. “Our name of Princeton Project 55 served us well for 20 years,” said Board Chair Kenly Webster ’55. “It honors the legacy of our founders, as indeed it should. Now, looking forward to our next 20 years, we will be able to grow and broaden our impact with a name that both reaches out to Princetonians of all ages and compellingly characterizes what we do.”

The Board has discussed a possible name change many times over the past two decades, but the issue became more urgent when members recognized that Project 55 needed to reach out more vigorously to attract Princetonians of all ages and to communicate its actual mission more effectively to everyone. In June 2008 the Board asked its Communications Committee to research a potential naming strategy. Committee members conducted research on several fronts:

• How we communicate now and what our name should say about us
• The story of PP55, its founding and evolution
• The current mission and strategic priorities
• Board feedback and discussion at its quarterly    meetings
• Surveys and interviews with key constituents and peers, and eventually…
• A proposal for a new umbrella name

Between December 2008 and February 2010, Communications Chair Lanny Jones ’66 and his committee held in-person or teleconference meetings about once a month. Board Chair Kenly Webster ’55, President Bill Leahy ’66, and Executive Director Kathleen Reilly were also involved throughout the research process, as was trademark attorney Dick Woodbridge ’65, who donated his services pro bono. During the committee’s deliberations more than 300 possible new names were proposed and considered.

Criteria:

*Does it reflect our overarching mission of inspiring and building civic leadership among alumni across generations by engaging them in significant activities that influence and improve our society?
*Is it distinctive and legally available?
*Is it short (ideally 5 syllables or less)?
*Is it inclusive and expansive?

Guiding Principles:

*In order to preserve brand recognition and honor the history and heritage of our organization, the original name of Princeton Project 55, or the“55” numerals, need to be included somewhere in the naming platform – either in the unchanged overall name, the subtitle/tagline, or names of key programs

*Possible new names were tested for reactions from our key constituencies: the full Board, key founders and funders from the Class of ’55, alumni from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, PIP alumni, sponsoring organizations, the Alumni Council, and other campus groups

From the outset, the committee concluded that, while the “55” numerals in the present name were an obstacle to recruiting Princeton alumni from other classes, it was also important that the brand-recognition built up under the original name be preserved. The result was the recommendation, approved by the board in February, that our flagship Public Interest Program now be known as the Princeton Project 55 Fellowships Program.

As one Board member, Arthur McKee ’90, put it: “One of the reasons why I drive up to Princeton from Washington four times a year is because I have been able to get to know members of the Class of ’55, which otherwise I would never have done. And not only was I inspired, but I am currently and will be in the future inspired by what the Class of ’55 has done and what it still will do. We can and we will honor not just the legacy but the action and the lives of the members of the Class of ’55.”

“The committee and others kept coming back to the concept of a ‘corps,’” Jones said. “With the existence of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Service Corps, and City Corps, the term has evolved to connote innovative service. ‘Corps’ also of course conjures the image of a volunteer or unified team. Hence Princeton AlumniCorps: a cadre of alumni, shoulder to shoulder, working together for systemic social change.”

The new name is just one piece of a larger strategic effort to engage, mobilize, and inspire alumni to be active citizens. Over the course of the next year we expect to announce new programs that will help us carry out our mission.

Communications Committee: Lanny Jones ‘66, Chair, Illa Brown ‘76, Jim Lynn ‘55, Anne-Marie Maman ‘84, Kathleen McCleery ‘75, Pete Milano ‘55, Kathy Miller ‘77, Natasha Robinson ‘04, Chet Safian ‘55, Tony Spaeth ‘55

NEW YORK

On March 3, 2010, guests gathered for a reception in New York City, one of many events taking place across the nation this year in celebration of Princeton Project 55’s 20th anniversary. The event, graciously hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation, was a tribute to all of the agencies – numbering more than 75 in total – that have partnered with Project 55  over two decades of its presence in New York.

A stunning 22 agencies were represented at the event, and all were honored with a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing their partnership. Five agencies in particular were highlighted during the evening’s program: Education Through Music, Heads Up! Pediatric Literacy Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center, New Alternatives for Children, the District Attorney’s Office of New York, and St. Mark’s the Evangelist School. Representatives from each of these agencies spoke passionately about the impact Project 55 fellows have had on their organizations.

Speaking of two former fellows and longtime employees of Education Through Music (ETM), Rainah Berlowitz and Katherine Canning, Executive Director Kathy Damkholer said: “I have the unique distinction of having two wonderful fellows who have made ETM their life work. You have been so wonderful, and we are who we are because of you.”

Adam Kaufmann said of fellows at the District Attorney’s Office of New York: “Project 55 fellows take on incredibly difficult, complex cases. We know that we can rely on the quality of the work that these astounding young people bring to the table.” These sentiments were echoed by all of the agencies who spoke at the event, a testament to the value of PP55’s work engaging alumni in varied public service fellowships that are often the starting point for lifelong careers in the public interest.

The evening was much enjoyed by all, and Project 55 community members in New York look forward to an equally stellar 20th anniversary bash in Princeton this May!

Click here to view videos of the New York and Chicago events on our YouTube Channel.

CHICAGO
By Kirsten O. Hull ’99, PP55 Chicago Volunteer

On March 18, 200 people gathered downtown to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Princeton  Project 55 in Chicago.  Present were current and former fellows and mentors, Chicago non-profit leaders, and the program’s many volunteers and friends.  Since 1989, PP55 has placed 388 fellows and interns with 113 local agencies, and it has inspired the launch of similar programs at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

The evening’s speakers included Jody Kretzmann ’66, Director, Asset Based Community Development Institute; Bill Leahy, Jr., M.D. ’66, President, Princeton Project 55;

Michelle Saddler ’82, Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services; and John Horan, President, North Lawndale College Prep High Schools. A book of special memories from past fellows was presented to John Fish ’55.  Lead sponsors of the event were: Ariel  Invest- ments, the Princeton Club of Chicago, Harrison Steans ’57, and Robin Steans and Leonard Gail.  Thank you to all who participated in this celebration.

Click here to view more photos from the PP55 Chicago event on our facebook page.

PP55’s fellowship program received nearly 150 applications from graduating seniors (84% of applicants) and recent graduates interested in spending a year working in the public interest. As the variety of partner organizations eager to benefit from a PP55 fellow has expanded, we have seen the diversity and variety broaden within the applicant pool as well.   Applicants represent 28 different majors, with the greatest representation from the Politics Department, Anthropology Department, and the Woodrow Wilson School. Hard science majors and engineers make up 23% of applicants. Women comprise the majority of the applicant pool at 75%.

Applicants not only display their exceptional qualifications through their academic records, but also in their extracurricular activities and internships.

Applicants range from captains of varsity athletic teams to editors of the Daily Princetonian to founders of organizations both on and off campus. Some have spent summers advocating for disempowered populations and researching infectious diseases abroad, while others have taught ESL to immigrant children or interned for a state senator.

This year’s applicants have proved to be leaders ready and eager to work towards positive systemic change through PP55’s Fellowship Program. We are excited to have more than 40 fellows in our 2010-11 fellowship class!

Gordon Douglas, Jr. ’55, TBI Program Leader

Most people think of Princeton Project 55 as a matchmaker, not an incubator. After all, it’s spent 20 years pairing up hundreds of idealistic young Princeton alumni with nonprofit agencies that need smart people to fill challenging jobs at low pay for a year or two.

But in those 20 years PP55 has also hatched and sent into the world half a dozen programs that other organizations have picked up and run with. And perhaps the most surprising success among them – at least to Gordon Douglas, Jr. ’55 – was the Tuberculosis Initiative, which emerged abruptly in 1997.

Dr. Douglas was president of the Vaccine Division at Merck & Co. for most of the 1990s. His wife, Ann, was a PP55 board member for six years, and in 1996 she was enthusiastic about Ralph Nader ’55’s proposal to involve Project 55 in a campaign against tuberculosis.

“She came home and told me about it,” Douglas told an interviewer years later, “and I said, ‘He’s nuts! This is a crazy idea – there’s no way! This is an enormous world health problem. We don’t have the capability of going out and handing out pills or giving vaccines to millions of people. It’s not what we can do.’”

Nevertheless, PP55 hosted a conference entitled, “Tuberculosis: A Global Emergency” at the Woodrow Wilson School on a cold, rainy Sunday in February 1997. “We wanted to vet this idea with some experts,” Douglas said. Two dozen TB control organizations sent representatives. An audience of 150 or so showed up too. “And,” Douglas recalled, “the meeting demonstrated, as Ralph had thought, that advocacy for tuberculosis was an important issue and by itself would accomplish a lot.” Before long the Tuberculosis Initiative – soon abbreviated to “TBI” – was officially in business, and Gordon Douglas became its program leader.

Later that year, PP55 was a convener at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, of a symposium of world-class experts with an even more ambitious title: “The Global Tuberculosis Pandemic: A Strategy for Unified Global Control and Ultimate Elimination.” PP55 then went on to become a founding member of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.

“When we started,” Douglas said long afterward, “there was really nothing being done on tuberculosis. If you asked a private citizen they’d say, ‘Well, we thought tuberculosis was cured years ago.’ But the true issue is that worldwide it’s as big a killer as AIDS. It’s an enormous problem, and the things that have helped solve it here are not working in the developing world.”

“The biggest thing was acting as a catalyst to bring people together,” Douglas continued. We wrote a lot of op-ed pieces in newspapers. We talked about TB whenever we could. We brought the issue before key congressional people, the executive branch, White House staff, and Health and Human Services. And every time they mentioned AIDS – which has an enormous advocacy group – we would just piggyback on it, and say, ‘Well, you can’t deal with the AIDS problem if you don’t deal with the TB problem. Most of the patients in Africa who die from HIV infection actually die of TB.’”

Funding from the government and the Gates Foundation improved dramatically after 1997. Well funded lobbying organizations like the American Lung Association took up the cause with renewed vigor. There were fewer opportunities for TBI to “do something unique, like we did in the beginning,” Douglas said. But one unique PP55 resource was its fellows and interns, and he argued for pointing them toward organizations doing work on tuberculosis – an idea that later bore fruit in the Public Health Fellowship program.

TBI itself – made expendable by its own success – was officially shut down in 2003. It had played a key role in escalating the campaign against TB, and other, much larger organizations were better fitted to take it to the next level. As Douglas put it, “Either we were very lucky and got in there at a time when change was happening regardless of what we did, or – as we think – we actually had something to do with effecting that change.”

Jim Lynn ’55 spent his working life as a reporter, writer, and editor in and around New York City. He has been secretary of the Class of 1955 and an Alumni Schools Committee interviewer, and is secretary and board member of PP55.

The Tuberculosis Initiative
(1997-2003) TBI focused on the worldwide eradication of tuberculosis at a moment when multi-drug resistant TB was threatening to explode. PP55 initially served as the convener for organizations like the World Health Organization, the US Constitutional Defense Council, USAID, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Lung Association. Princeton Project 55 was a founding member of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.

Bill Richardson '73

Bill Richardson graduated from Princeton in 1973 with a politics degree.  He also holds a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.  After 30 years as an associate and then partner at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler & Pickering and its successor Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP, he retired at the end of 2007.  He is currently doing pro bono legal work as a volunteer for Virginia C.U.R.E., the Legal Aid Justice Center, and other organizations interested in prison reform in Virginia, and serves on the board of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust.   He is a past Chairman of the Alumni Schools Committee for Northern Virginia, currently serves as Secretary of the Princeton Club of Washington, and is a member of Project 55’s Midcareer Planning Committee.   Bill and his wife Kathy, Northwestern ‘73, live in Arlington, Virginia.  They have two sons.  Jack, age 30, runs a tree care company in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  James, age 26, plays lead guitar for the rock band MGMT.

How did you get involved with Princeton Project 55? Did it surprise you to learn that PP55 is a multigenerational organization?

I had had the great opportunity of working closely with Bill Leahy ’66 on Alumni Schools Committee work for a number of years, and talked with him about getting involved in Project 55 around the time of my retirement.  At the same time, one of my classmates in the area, Dick Walker ’73, was getting more actively involved.  I had been inspired by what I had read about the origin of Project 55 as a contribution to public service after a career in the private sector.  I was unaware of the extensive participation in Project 55 by those other than the founding generation, and also of the popularity of its programs among recent Princeton graduates.

What’s the most important thing you look for when supporting an organization or serving on a nonprofit board?

To me, the key is whether the mission of the organization is to provide a service to the community in ways that are not filled by others, and whether that particular mission is one in which I have a personal interest.

Please discuss the importance of what Project 55 does for the Princeton community and communities across the country.

Project 55 provides to alumni of all generations an opportunity to use their experience to make a difference in important areas where nonprofit organizations have become critical, particularly with diminishing government resources.  This is a wonderful way to make connections with fellow alumni, but also a particular opportunity for those of us who have spent most of our lives in the private sector to play a bigger role in addressing these needs.

PP55 is excited to be working with you and other alumni on a new initiative for alumni considering transitions to the nonprofit sector. Since you have made this change, could you discuss your transition from the private sector to the nonprofit sector?

My transition has been somewhat haphazard.  What I’m doing now is partly an outgrowth of contacts that I made while engaged in a pro bono project at my law firm, when I met others in need of similar legal advice, and partly the result of having had the opportunity since retirement to devote more time to civic activities here in Arlington. I’m still exploring what I want out of a “second career,” including whether it should involve government service or work in the nonprofit sector.

What advice would you give to alumni that are either transitioning or are considering changing careers?

I think the most important thing is to keep an open mind and reach out to others to find out what’s available.  There are lots of opportunities out there, and for most of us the difficulty is in learning about  them.  Getting more involved in pro bono work, bar associations or analogous professional associations, and civic activities in your community are helpful ways of finding out about some of these options, but I’m most excited about how Project 55 might be of service to older alumni in helping them in this way.

As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, what is your hope for the next 20 years at PP55?

I hope that we will be able to inspire succeeding generations to make the kinds of commitments to public service that the class of 1955 started with, and also to expand our focus beyond the very successful programs for recent graduates by providing similar opportunities for older alumni as well, both full-time and part-time.

Can you describe the climate in which the Civic Values Initiative (CIV) was first brought about? How did it start, and what were its initial aims?

The Civic Values Initiative was launched at a time when Project 55 felt it had impacted the lives of Princeton alumni in a meaningful way but was hearing more and more from current and former fellows that they could have benefitted from having more civic engagement opportunities while still on campus.

It was Charlie Bray ‘55 who first took this to heart and became a champion for the cause on the PP55 Board. His love for Princeton University and his never-ending desire to make it an even better place was especially inspiring and energizing for me and others involved in the cause.

Above: Charlie Bray ’55, CIV's proposer, principal promoter, and Program Leader. He used to say "We would know we had succeeded when it is taken for granted that to be a Princetonian is to be an active and effective citizen and community participant."

CIV thus began working with members of the University community to explore how and where the University emphasized civic skills and community participation. CIV’s driving force was for the University to be consistent with its motto and assist its students, alumni, faculty and staff to develop their civic values and skills and to use those toward the public good throughout their lives, regardless of their career path.

How did the various initiatives bring civic engagement to the forefront among students, alumni, faculty, and on-campus groups?

This is a pretty difficult question because the whole idea behind CIV was that we wanted civic ideas to percolate on campus but not necessarily come with any credit to PP55. We wanted any initiatives to be inspired by someone on campus – that way the founders could be the torchbearers and have ownership over their own projects.

The early months of CIV consisted of meetings with faculty, administrators and student groups to gauge the overall climate. We hosted a few panels and speakers, notably during the Civic Engagement Week in February 2003 (though it was hobbled by a 3-day snow storm that week!). The real momentum came with the forming of the Student Task Force on Civic Values, which was brought together in the spring of 2003. We accepted applications for the task force and selected seven students who would serve as ambassadors and travel to other universities (Harvard, Duke, University of Maryland, Tufts, Dartmouth and Penn) doing innovative things and then report back to the Princeton administration with recommendations about what Princeton could be doing in this rapidly growing arena.

What has your experience with CIV been like for you? How has this experience influenced the way you think about and promote civic engagement?

In my capacity as program manager for Project 55’s Civic Values Initiative, I knew I could make an important contribution to my alma mater. Although it would have been wonderful to address social issues elsewhere, I knew that by working on University issues, I would be addressing topics I really care about and with which I feel a personal connection.

Since working with CIV, and by nature of being on the PP55 board and involved in the Chicago committee, I am now constantly thinking about promoting civic engagement. Also as chair of the program committee I benefit from having been involved in CIV because I know a program outside of the fellowship programs well. I know that CIV did have an impact on Princeton – and was successful!

What would you say to current Princetonians about civic leadership today?

I think that current Princetonians are incredibly lucky to have all of the resources that are available to them in the realm of civic values, leadership and engagement on campus today.  I believe that the University and alumni supporters have made great strides to support opportunities to enhance the incomparable Princeton academic experience with impactful ethical, political and civic opportunities inside and outside the classroom. In almost every edition of the PAW recently there is a feature story or editorial or note from the administration about great work that a student group or academic seminar or faculty member is doing in the local community, in conjunction with a government agency or in the international domain. This kind of explicit endorsement of the value of such activities along with the significant financial support that the University and alumni have now put behind such efforts should not be taken for granted. Only eight years ago, only a minority of the stakeholders was convinced of the value added to a Princeton education from engaging in the civic sphere.

Now that civic values and community based learning are on the top of the president and the administration’s priority list, it puts the pressure back onto the Princeton students and alumni to take advantage of all of the resources and opportunities that are at our fingertips in order to ensure that “to be a Princetonian is to be an active and effective citizen and community participant.”

Learn more about Lindsay M. Wall’s experience by reading her article previously published in the Daily Princetonian!

Civic Values Initiative
(2002-2006) CIV was adopted as a Princeton Project 55 program in 2002 as an effort to encourage Princeton University to live its motto: “Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of all Nations.” CIV staff developed, coordinated, and supported key initiatives that brought civic engagement to the forefront among students, alumni, faculty, and on-campus groups including the 2003 Civic Engagement Week and the Civil Society and Community Building Online Course. Another success of CIV was the formation of the Civic Values Task Force, a group of Princeton undergraduates who studied civic engagement opportunities at peer institutions and published a report on their findings including recommendations for initiatives at Princeton University in November 2004.