By Donald Gilpin

Christopher L. Eisgruber’s tenure as president of Princeton University has been extended by the University’s Board of Trustees for at least five more years, as Princeton University looks forward to the expansion of its undergraduate student body, increasing investments in emerging areas of science and innovation, and the most ambitious building program in its history.

In approving the extension of Eisgruber’s presidency at its April 9 meeting, the Board of Trustees cited “transformational gains” in student body diversity and philanthropic support, accomplishments that have enhanced the University’s teaching and research, and historic campus expansion, according to a Princeton University press release.

“As the University and world emerge from a period of unprecedented challenges, the board felt it was important to give us all the reassurance and strength of Chris Eisgruber’s continued leadership for a minimum five more years, said Board of Trustees Chair Louise “Weezie” Sams. “This decision positions us optimally as we venture forward.”

A constitutional law scholar and 1983 Princeton University graduate, Eisgruber joined the Princeton University faculty in 2001, then served as provost for nine years before he became the University’s 20th president in 2013.

“I am grateful to the trustees for their confidence in me, and I am excited about what we can achieve in the next five years,” said Eisgruber. “It is a privilege to lead this University and this community that I love.”

Sams praised Eisgruber and noted Princeton University’s prospects for unusual successes in the coming years. “Chris is a visionary thinker, and we are delighted to keep him at the helm as we lean into this moment of opportunity,” she said.

In his annual State of the University letter earlier this year, Eisgruber emphasized the goal of taking advantage of Princeton’s growing endowment returns to expand “audacious bets on human talent” and explore “new dimensions” in the University’s teaching and research mission.

The April 18 press release highlights Princeton University as “a national leader in expanding socioeconomic access to higher education,” citing sharp increases in the numbers of Princeton undergraduates eligible for federal Pell Grants for lower income students and in numbers of incoming students who are first-generation college students. 

More than 60 percent of Princeton undergraduates receive aid, and the average scholarship for students receiving aid will be approximately $64,000 in the coming year, the press release reports.

Two new residential colleges at Princeton are set to open in the fall of 2022, increasing the number of undergraduates by about 10 percent. Also highlighted in the University press release are “centerpiece building projects” underway, including an engineering and environmental studies complex, a new art museum, and, across Lake Carnegie, the initial construction phase of the Lake Campus Development, which will include graduate student housing, athletics, and recreational facilities.

The University press release described Princeton’s physical upgrades as part of an opening-up of the University as it has strengthened ties to the town of Princeton, as well as West Windsor, Plainsboro, and Trenton.

Praising the University community in its response to the challenges of the last two years and his senior administrative team for their work over the past nine years, Eisgruber noted, “I look forward to working with them, and with this extraordinary community, to advance Princeton’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and service in the years ahead.”