October 25, 2023

Non-Traditional Students “Dream Big” In Transfer Scholars Initiative Program

By Donald Gilpin

Fatima Abella (Photo by Daytwan Coates Hall, DCH Media)

Ramping up its outreach to non-traditional students and to New Jersey community college students seeking to transfer to four-year institutions in particular, Princeton University has launched the Transfer Scholars Initiative (TSI).

Forty students from seven community colleges participated in the pilot TSI session from June 26 to August 18 this past summer and most followed up on the weekend of October 14-15 with a two-day “bootcamp” on the Princeton University campus to work on their college transfer applications.

“It was important to me because it’s my first time applying with the Common App,” said Hudson County Community College (HCCC) student Fatima Abella, who attended the bootcamp as well as the eight-week summer program.

Abella, who is majoring in cybersecurity and described herself as the poet laureate in her school, commented on the recent two-day session. “The process was broken down with an emphasis on the parts that took a lot of time to complete, such as requesting letters of recommendation, writing our personal statements, highlighting experiences, etc. We were asked to share our drafts with our cohorts and we gave each other feedback. The professors were also attentive to any specific questions we had.” more

Forum on Plans for Seminary Property Draws Standing-Room-Only Crowd

By Anne Levin

On October 17, a packed audience filled Witherspoon Hall for a community forum devoted to development of the Tennent/Roberts/Whiteley campus of Princeton Theological Seminary. James P. Herring of Herring Properties, the contract purchaser of the site, presented a concept plan for a 238-unit apartment complex, 48 of which would be designated affordable.

Council President Mia Sacks introduced the program, noting that the town’s redevelopment team vetted Herring’s concept over the summer. The forum, the third to be held on the proposal, was intended as a “kickoff” to the formal process of adopting the plan.

The town’s redevelopment counsel Steve Mlenack told the audience that two meetings of Princeton Council, a Planning Board meeting, and a public hearing are involved in the process. Following that, the town will negotiate a redevelopment agreement with the developer before the regular site plan review is undertaken.

The Seminary had originally considered building new student apartments at the site, which was designated an area in need of redevelopment in October 2018. But the plans for student apartments were withdrawn by the Seminary in the fall of 2019. Last year, three early 20th century buildings considered beyond restoring were torn down.  more

October 18, 2023

BOE Candidates Share Views on Key Issues

By Donald Gilpin

With Election Day less than three weeks away, two incumbents are competing with three new candidates for three positions on the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE).

The candidates’ names might be listed on the back of the ballot, but the competition for Princeton School Board often generates the most interest, the most heat, and the most lawn signs of any election.

Incumbents Beth Behrend and Michele Tuck-Ponder are both running for their third term on the Board, and Adam Bierman, Eleanor Hubbard, and Rene Obregon are challenging. The campaign so far has been lively, with considerable media coverage and two candidate forums just last week. Extensive information on the candidates’ views and platforms is available at vote411.org, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and at princetonptoc.weebly.com, sponsored by the Princeton Parent-Teacher Organization Council.

Town Topics asked each candidate to respond by email to five questions: about the merits of incumbency and experience vs. change, “new blood,” and new perspectives; about transparency and collaboration; about public trust in the Board; about district finances and the current bond referendum; and about the strengths of their particular qualifications and potential contributions to the Board.

The questions and the candidates’ responses follow. (Behrend and Tuck-Ponder note that they are writing as individuals, not on behalf of the Board, of which they are members.) more

Plans for Development of Seminary Site are Topic of Forum

By Anne Levin

At a community forum Tuesday evening, October 17 on development of the Tennent/Roberts/Whiteley campus of Princeton Theological Seminary, contract purchaser James P. Herring was to present concept plans for the apartment project he hopes to build at the site.

The forum at Witherspoon Hall, the third on the subject, was to be held after press time. Herring, owner of Herring Properties, shared some details of his plans in advance of the meeting.

The five-acre site is to have 238 units, including 48 affordable apartments integrated throughout the complex. Buildings are to be three-to-four stories, with stone and stucco exteriors. Underground parking and open space are part of the plan. The main entrance is off Stockton Street. The core of the development, the four-story part, is the most internal.

“There is no mass building along the streetscapes,” Herring said. “We’ve tried to be respectful of the architecture of Edgehill Street, which has old, traditional, narrow houses tight to the road, and Hibben Road, which has bigger lots and bigger houses. All along the neighbors’ properties, we’ve tried to be very respectful. So we went way beyond the existing setbacks against abutting properties. Then, we stepped back.” more

Waves of Shock, Sorrow, and Concern Reverberate Following Attacks in Israel

“PRINCETON STANDS WITH ISRAEL”: About 400 people, many wearing or carrying Israeli flags, attended a vigil in support of Israel on Thursday evening, October 12, outside the Frist Campus Center at Princeton University. (Photo by Summer Pramer)

By Donald Gilpin

Over the past ten days, repercussions from the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel and the war in the Middle East have been felt acutely in the Princeton area as they have been felt throughout the world.  more

One-Man Play About Early Opponent of Slavery Is Focal Point of Witherspoon-Jackson Fundraiser

SPEAKING OUT: Rich Swingle, left, takes on the character of anti-slavery Quaker John Woolman, shown in the only known drawing of him, at a performance of “I Dreamed I Was Free” at Morven on November 2.

By Anne Levin

More than a century before the Civil War, the topic of slavery was being debated in the colonies. On the floor of the Philadelphia Yearly Quaker Meeting of 1758, a man named John Woolman addressed his fellow Quakers with “Some Consideration of the Keeping of Negroes,” leading the Society of Friends to recognize the evil of slavery and form a committee to visit those Friends who kept slaves.

Woolman’s efforts are the basis of I Dreamed I Was Free, a one-man play to be performed by its author Rich Swingle on Thursday, November 2, at the annual fundraising gala of the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society (WJHCS). The public is invited to attend the event, taking place at Morven Museum and Garden, 55 Stockton Street, at 7:30 p.m. more

Green Infrastructure Workshop in Spanish Gets Healthy Turnout from Local Landscapers

By Anne Levin

Staff members from Sustainable Princeton and The Watershed Institute weren’t sure what to expect when they advertised a four-hour landscaping workshop focused on green infrastructure, geared toward local landscapers, and presented in Spanish.

But the event held September 23 at The Watershed Institute drew 16 landscapers from six locally owned businesses, ready to learn about New Jersey’s new stormwater management law, how rain gardens work, and the rules for working in Princeton.

“I was very pleased at how many people turned up,” said Christine Symington, executive director of Sustainable Princeton. “We really didn’t know what kind of attendance we would get. And we had a very positive response from the attendees.” more

October 11, 2023

Council Votes to Continue Stormwater Study

By Anne Levin

Following a presentation by Clay Emerson of engineering consultants Princeton Hydro, Princeton Council approved a resolution at its Monday, October 9 meeting to proceed to the next phase of a Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study, for an amount not to exceed $149,853.

More frequent and more severe rainstorms have increased the problem of stormwater runoff in Princeton. A stormwater utility is a mechanism to raise sufficient funds for management of stormwater, and allocate its costs more equitably.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the Clean Stormwater and Flood Reduction Act into law in 2019, giving municipalities the ability to create stormwater utilities and establish fees. More than 40 states already have them, but there are none so far in New Jersey, according to Emerson. “You are one of the first municipalities to consider this,” he said.

Council first considered creating an ordinance for a stormwater utility in 2021. Princeton Hydro was brought on in 2022. more

Princeton Nonprofits to Get $1M+ in Grants From NJ Historic Trust

By Donald Gilpin

Morven Museum & Garden, Dorothea’s House, and the Princeton Battlefield are slated to receive a total of approximately $1.198 million from the New Jersey Historic Trust for projects intended to save and promote historic sites.

There are 71 projects throughout the state that are on this year’s list of grant award recommendations.  The New Jersey Historic Trust, an affiliate of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), recently approved a total of more than $14 million in grant recommendations from the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund.

Morven, former home of Richard Stockton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was awarded funds for three different projects, as it gears up for the United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary celebration) in 2026. more

Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart To Close at the End of This School Year

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart announced last week that, due to financial challenges, it will be closing at the end of the 2023-24 school year.

The school, located on a 50-acre campus on Great Road, was founded in 1999 in seeking to meet the need for a “values-based” private school for boys in grades K-8, according to the Princeton Academy website.

A letter to the Princeton Academy community signed by the school’s Board of Trustees Chair Olen Kalkus and Head of School Alfred (Rik) F. Dugan reports, “Princeton Academy continues to face financial challenges brought on by changing demographics and rising costs.”

The letter notes that the board had been pursuing various options to keep the school open, including sales of assets, efforts to increase enrollment, additional support from donors, and possible mergers with other institutions.

The letter continues, “However, despite our best efforts to find workable solutions, and after careful consideration, reflection, and discernment, the Board of Trustees has unanimously made the most difficult decision to close operations of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart at the end of the current school year.” more

Latin American Women’s Group of Princeton Marks Forty Years of Friendship and Culture

FRIENDS FOR LIFE: Members of the Latin American Women’s Group of Princeton, which has provided a touch of home to Latinas since 1983.

By Anne Levin

Four decades ago, three women met in Princeton to share a cup of coffee and speak Spanish together. Married to non-Latinos and missing their native cultures, the women had encountered each other by chance, and decided to meet.

That initial coffee date was the seed for the Latin American Women’s Group of Princeton, a lively group that now numbers some 25 members who are natives of 11 Latin American countries. On Saturday, October 14, the group will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a party at the Nassau Inn.

“You have to understand, 40 years ago there was hardly anybody around here who spoke Spanish,” said Alice Faroh, current president of the group. “These women — Irene Wynne and Marta Vega from Venezuela, and Cristina Naithani from El Salvador — missed their language and their culture. When Irene happened to hear the other two speaking Spanish, she grabbed them.” more

Story Behind “The Lawrenceville Stories” Is Subject of Screening at Lawrence Library

By Anne Levin

Back when it was known as Lawrenceville Prep, the Lawrenceville School played host to Hollywood for several scenes of The Happy Years, a film based on Owen Johnson’s series of Lawrenceville-based stories set in the 1890s.

Johnson was a member of the class of 1895. His years at the school inspired the series that, in 1949, was turned into a feature film. In celebration of Lawrence Township History Month, The Happy Years will be screened on Thursday, October 19 at 5:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch of Mercer County Library System. Jacqui Haun, Lawrenceville School archivist, will introduce the film and be on hand after the screening to answer questions.

“The stories were originally published serially, in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post,” Haun said. “They were made into a series of books, which were widely read, sort of like Tom Brown’s School Days. So Lawrenceville became well known because of those books.”  more

Helene Lanctuit is New Leader at Princeton-Based Share My Meals

By Donald Gilpin

Helene Lanctuit
(Tamara Gillon Photography)

Growing rapidly on its mission to serve the food insecure and reduce the environmental impact of food waste, Princeton-based Share My Meals has appointed Helene Lanctuit as its first chief executive officer.

Founded in 2020, Share My Meals has doubled the number of meals recovered in just the past year, distributing an average of 6,000 meals a month collected from 40 food donors.

Lanctuit intends to accelerate that growth. “It’s the best moment for me to step in,” she said. “I’m very happy to be leading this organization. There’s so much potential, and the staff is amazing.” more

October 4, 2023

BOE Seats, Referendum on Ballot for Nov. 7

By Donald Gilpin 

Now through November 7, Princeton voters will be weighing in on a School Board race with two incumbents and three challengers competing for three open positions, a $13 million school bond referendum focused on safety measures and facilities improvements, and several other area election races.

Some residents are sending in vote-by-mail ballots. Others will vote early in person at Princeton Shopping Center and six other locations in Mercer County from October 28 through November 5. And regular polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7. Visit vote.nj.gov or contact the office of the county clerk at mercercounty.org for more information, including deadlines and forms.

In the race for three-year terms on the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE), Beth Behrend and Michele Tuck-Ponder are seeking reelection for a third term, while Adam Bierman, Eleanor Hubbard, and Rene Obregon are campaigning to join the BOE for the first time. Three seats are up for grabs. more

IAS Fall Term is  Underway with 272 New, Returning Scholars

By Donald Gilpin

Dedicated to “enabling curiosity-driven exploration and fundamental discovery,” the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is setting forth in its 2023-24 school year with an eclectic mix of extraordinary scholars from a wide assortment of backgrounds and disciplines.

Ranging from post-doctoral scholars to distinguished professors, 272 new and returning residents are on campus, working alongside 25 permanent faculty and 20 emeriti faculty, representing 47 different countries and 105 institutions. They are all based in one of the Institute’s four schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science.

The School of Mathematics is hosting a special year on p-adic arithmetic geometry, with a fall workshop November 13-17 and a spring workshop March 11-15. IAS math professors Bhargav Bhatt and Jacob Lurie are organizing the workshops and other p-adic-related events, seeking to “bring together a mix of people interested in various facets of the subject with an eye towards sharing ideas and questions across fields,” according to an IAS press release.

For the School of Social Science, this year’s theme seminar is focused on “the platform,” exploring how and why digital services or websites have grown in size, power, and influence in global society.  more

Joint Venture of University Venues Seeks Volunteers to Serve as Ushers

By Anne Levin

Back before the pandemic, ushers at McCarter Theatre Center were a dedicated group who volunteered their time taking tickets, leading audience members to their seats, and solving any squabbles over seating at concerts, recitals, plays, and dance performances.

Once the shutdown ended and audiences began to return, the theater switched to paid ushers. But a new joint venture between McCarter and other popular Princeton University venue Richardson Hall is poised to bring volunteers back to McCarter. Richardson, which paused its schedule during the pandemic, has remained volunteer only. The Joint Ushers for McCarter and Princeton (JUMP) initiative aims “to build an enthusiastic, committed, and diverse group of volunteer ushers,” according to richardson.princeton.edu/jump, a website devoted to the effort.

A second program is geared to high school students, who can count volunteer ushering toward their community service requirements while getting close access to the performing arts.

“There has always been an overlap in our different usher programs at McCarter and Richardson,” said Ayame S. Whitfield, usher program coordinator for the University’s Performing Arts Services. “There was always potential for an actual joint venture. The pandemic hit the arts community very hard. Coming out of it and rebuilding our programs was an opportunity to work together and strengthen the arts community.” more

Send Hunger Packing Princeton Marks 10th Anniversary of Providing Sustenance

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED: This SHUPP community garden at the Princeton YMCA is among more than 10 in town that invite anyone who needs produce to pick what is ripe.

By Anne Levin

At a meeting of Princeton’s Human Services Department with some community stakeholders a decade ago, the topic of food insecurity among Princeton children was raised. Asked how many youngsters would qualify for that classification, most people thought there were about 10, or maybe 20.

“The answer was 300 to 400 kids. Everybody’s mouth dropped,” said Ross Wishnick, chairman of Human Services at the time. “This really was not acceptable. Because we have sufficient wealth in this town to solve it.”

That gathering was the seed of Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP), a nonprofit founded by Wishnick to provide food to anyone in the school system who asks. Wishnick and the many volunteers who have assisted will gather at Hinds Plaza on Sunday, October 8 from 12 to 2 p.m. for a 10th anniversary celebration. The public is invited to stop by and learn about SHUPP’s programs, which include free community gardens, a hydroponic learning system, the stocking of local pantries, and a weekly produce program that serves nearly 200 families. more

Alma Concepción Collection Debuts at Princeton University’s Firestone Library

CELEBRATING A LIFE AND ARCHIVES: Alma Concepción, whose career has encompassed classical ballet and Spanish dance as well as years of teaching, has donated her papers to Princeton University. A celebration in honor of the collection is on November 2. (Photo by Jennifer Cabral)

By Anne Levin

The papers of Puerto Rican dancer, choreographer, scholar, and popular dance teacher Alma Concepción are now part of Latin American Collections at Princeton University’s Firestone Library.

A Princeton resident since the 1980s, Concepción is familiar to alumni of Princeton Ballet School for her classes in Spanish dance and ballet from 1983 to 2011. She has also taught at the Arts Council of Princeton, at Rutgers and Princeton universities, and at Taller de Danza, a children’s and dance community organization in Trenton. A two-part event celebrating the opening of the Alma Concepción Collection, “Dance, Literature, and Comunidad,” is on Thursday, November 2 at two campus locations. more

W. Jason Morgan, Discoverer of Tectonic Plates, To Be Celebrated at Oct. 7 Memorial Service

By Donald Gilpin

W. Jason Morgan
(Princeton University, Denise Applewhite)

W. Jason Morgan (1935-2023), a pioneer in the field of plate tectonics and a Princeton University professor of geology and geophysics from 1966 to 2003, will be honored on Saturday, October 7, with a Celebration of Life at the Princeton University Chapel, followed by a luncheon and memorial symposium at Guyot Hall on the University campus organized by the Department of Geosciences and the Morgan family.

Morgan, who received his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1964, was the Knox Taylor Professor of Geology emeritus and a professor of geophysics emeritus. He died at his home in Beverly, Mass., on July 31, 2023.

Described in a geosciences department statement as “an enormously influential figure in shaping our understanding of the movements of our planet’s surface and its interior,” Morgan was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2002 “for his development of the theories of plate tectonics and of deep mantle plumes, which revolutionized our understanding of the geological forces that control the Earth’s crust and deep interior and consequently influence the evolution of the Earth’s life and climate.” more

September 27, 2023

PPS Afterschool Program in Transition Process

By Donald Gilpin

Following a series of concerns and complaints that started in the first weeks of the school year and a week of petitioning, meeting, and alarms raised over the safety and well-being of the elementary school children in the program, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Superintendent Carol Kelley announced last Friday, September 22, that the afterschool services provider Right at School (RAS) had announced its intention to terminate its contract with PPS and that a transition plan is underway to choose a new provider.

“I’m not a parent who complains too much,” said Sarah Tannenbaum, who has two children in the Littlebrook School aftercare program and has been a leading voice in raising concerns about the program. “I’m quiet normally, but this was really risking the safety of the children. It was pretty ridiculous, and that was clear to everybody. They didn’t have enough staff. The kids were crying and screaming. They were not taking them outside. At Riverside they were just watching kids roughhousing.”

Tannenbaum noted, on Tuesday, September 26, that the current transition period seems to be working smoothly. Apparently RAS has replaced some of its workers, and the district has its own staff members on the job in addition to the RAS staff. “They’re watching the kids,” said Tannenbaum. “Things are very well structured now. The parents feel that their kids are at least safe now with this transition plan, but they’re upset that this even happened.” more

Progress Report on Master Plan at Second Open House

By Anne Levin

On the heels of a series of listening sessions related to Princeton’s Master Plan held in recent weeks throughout the town, the municipality is holding an open house on Wednesday, September 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Witherspoon Hall, 400 Witherspoon Street.

Where the listening sessions in different neighborhoods were designed to hear from the public about what should be prioritized in the reworking of the document, the open house is about taking that information to the next step.

“We’re getting to the point now where we’re able to tell back some of the big themes we’ve heard through these events,” said Municipal Planning Director Justin Lesko. “It’s more about getting to what will be in the document rather than what people want to see. But they can still comment. Staff and consultants and members of the steering committee will be there.” more

Charter School Wins 2023 Blue Ribbon, One of Only Nine in NJ, 353 in Country

By Donald Gilpin

Princeton Charter School (PCS) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) as a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School (NBRS) award winner. PCS is the only 2023 Blue Ribbon award winner in Mercer County, one of just nine in New Jersey, and only 353 schools in the country.

“We are proud of this amazing achievement as a credit to the students, teachers, staff, parents, and administration of Princeton Charter School,” wrote Head of School Larry Patton in a letter to PCS parents. “No single act resulted in this honor, but rather it reflects the collective efforts, dedication, and shared vision of the entire Charter community.”

Founded in 1997, PCS, located on Bunn Drive with a student population of about 420 from kindergarten to grade eight, was also recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2004.

“A strong sense of community is at the heart of our work,” noted Lisa Eckstrom, assistant head of school for grades five to eight, pointing out that the school was particularly successful in working through the challenges of the pandemic.  more

Green House Tour Invites Visitors In to Learn How Sustainable Homes Work

GOING GREEN: Sustainable homes such as “Mrs. Brown’s Lucky Oyster Bar” are open to the public on Saturday, September 30 as part of a tour presented by the Princeton Environmental Commission and Sustainable Princeton. (Photo by Jeffrey E. Tryon)

By Anne Levin

Most house tours open the doors to mansions that boast rooms done up in high style by interior design professionals. At a tour of five Princeton homes and two gardens on Saturday, September 30, a different focus is in play.

The first-ever Green House Tour, sponsored by the Princeton Environmental Commission (PEC) and Sustainable Princeton, invites visitors into homes where sustainability is the priority. They even have titles: “Mrs. Brown’s Lucky Oyster Bar,” “The Hello Sunshine, Goodbye Gas House,” “Leedin’ on Linden,” “Bloomin’ on Birch,” and “The Radically Radiant Retrofit.” more

Leaders from Technology and Art Discuss Implications of ChatGPT

By Anne Levin

Is ChatGPT an enhancement or a threat to creativity? At a panel conversation on October 3 at Princeton Public Library, the focus will be on how the artificial intelligence chatbot (ChatGPT stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a tool to assist and inspire rather than limit human creative endeavors.

“Creativity in the Age of ChatGPT,” to be held in the Community Room from 6 to 7:30 p.m., is co-hosted by the library, the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, and the National Humanities Center. The discussion delves into how the chatbot “has kindled imaginations and stoked debate since it was launched by OpenAI in November 2022,” according to a release from the Council for the Humanities.

“I see this as the beginning of a conversation, so I anticipate more events like this to come,” said Carin Berkowitz, executive director of the Council for the Humanities. “When ChatGPT arrived, we saw a lot of hand-wringing in the newspapers. There seemed to be conversations tinged with alarm in our community. more

PU Professor and His Graduate Student Join List of Most Influential People in AI

By Donald Gilpin

Arvind Narayanan (Photo by Nick Donnoli, Princeton University)

Leading the discussion on one of the most hotly debated subjects in the news are a Princeton University professor and his graduate student, who have captured the attention of millions in their explorations of the dangers and potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI).

Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor and director of the Center for information Technology Policy (CITP), and Sayash Kapoor, a CITP science Ph.D. candidate, have been selected for Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence. 

Narayanan and Kapoor are now collaborating on a book titled AI Snake Oil, due out next year, and they write a digital newsletter of the same name providing critical commentary on AI. Narayanan’s research focuses on the societal impact of digital technologies, especially AI, and he has co-taught a related course at Princeton on limits to prediction.

“We started our AI Snake Oil newsletter because it allows us to dissect false or misleading claims about AI in real time,” Kapoor wrote in an email. “Through it, we have been able to share our scholarship and analysis on AI with the public at large. Many false or misleading claims about AI are made every day, and we hope the newsletter has helped push back against some of the misleading narratives.” more