By Donald Gilpin
In his commencement address at Princeton Stadium on Tuesday, Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber put out an urgent plea for graduating seniors and grad students to stand up for equality, diversity, freedom, justice, and love.
Claiming “the best weather for commencement in the history of Princeton University — and after what you’ve been through in the past four years you deserve it,” Eisgruber awarded degrees to 1,263 undergraduates in the Class of 2023, plus two from previous classes, and 679 graduate students. Thousands more families, friends, and guests in the stadium cheered on the graduating seniors and advanced degree recipients at Princeton’s 276th commencement.
In his words to the graduates, Eisgruber noted “a movement afoot in this country right now to drive a wedge between the constitutional ideals of equality and free speech,” as he emphasized the necessity of caring simultaneously about equality and open debate on public issues. He condemned “educational gag orders” recently introduced by state legislatures restricting the teaching of information about inequalities within American society. more