University | 7:38 pm | September 22, 2012 | By

Princeton president will step down

SMT-RW-5530-massive
Photo by Roger Wang / The Daily Princetonian.

Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman announced Saturday that, after 11 years leading Princeton, she will step down in June.

During her tenure, Tilghman oversaw the addition of a residential college and a $1.88 billion fundraising campaign. Tilghman announced her plans to leave at the Princeton Board of Trustees Friday meeting; in a Saturday email to the student body, Tilghman said she plans to take a year’s sabbatical and then return to teaching.

“There is a natural rhythm to university presidencies,” Tilghman wrote. “With the major priorities accomplished or well on their way to being realized, and the campaign successfully concluded, it is time for Princeton to turn to its 20th president to chart the path for the next decade and beyond.”

University President Richard Levin made a similar statement in late August, when he announced his reasons for stepping down after 20 years. With the end of the $3.88 billion Yale Tomorrow campaign and the imminent launch of Yale-NUS, Levin said he saw himself in between major projects.

According to a Princeton press release, the team choosing Tilghman’s successor will include nine members of the Board of Trustees, four members of the faculty who will be elected by the faculty, two undergraduates, a graduate student and a member of the staff.

Correction 9.22.12

An earlier version of this article misstated the name of retiring Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman.

Comments