Not your daddy's Princeton

In October 2007, President Shirley Tilghman and Provost Christopher Eisgruber ’83 released a report, titled “Princeton in the World,” which argued that Princeton must prepare itself to meet the challenges of globalization. Adapting to globalization means that undergraduates should learn how to “be knowledgeable about, and comfortable interacting with, cultures different from their own.” It’s true that Princeton had previously embraced a similar sort of vision. We did make “Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of all nations” our informal motto in 1996. But if Tilghman really thought that the University was already truly international in focus, she wouldn’t have invested significant resources and time in creating a new report.

We can already see some changes from this renewed effort. At a time when the University is cutting back funding in other areas, Vice Provost for International Initiatives Diana Davies has helped to oversee a consolidated and expanding effort to internationalize the University. Nancy Kanach, senior associate dean of the college, has spearheaded the effort to grow the Office of International Programs, which will include fellowship advising starting next year. The International Internship Program has grown dramatically under the leadership of Luisa Duarte-Silva. The number of students studying abroad has also increased thanks to Giorgio DiMauro, associate director of the Study Abroad Program. Not only are more students going abroad during their time at Princeton; some are heading overseas before they even arrive on campus. The Bridge Year Program, directed by John Luria, currently sends 20 students to do volunteer work overseas and has a mandate to grow to include 100 students.

These efforts represented a strong response to the oft-asked question, “Why should I miss even a single semester of a Princeton education?” Money talks, and the money the University decided to invest in these programs says, “Because the world can teach you something that Princeton can’t.” As someone who has spent two summers and a semester abroad during my time at Princeton, I couldn’t agree more.

But the University should do more to internationalize the undergraduate student body. First, as it currently stands, Nassau Hall — generous as it may be — should increase funding to ensure that every student can achieve this ideal education. Many athletes cannot study abroad, and there is not enough funding for summer programs to satisfy the current level of interest.

Second, Princeton should be doing much more to try to ensure that every student — excluding those who play sports that do not permit it — study abroad. (Yes, that includes international students who consider themselves to be currently studying abroad.) It’s true that a summer can help give you a taste of another country. But there simply is no replacement for the long and sustained engagement that takes place during a semester abroad. After all, it can take a while to become “knowledgeable about, and comfortable interacting with,” other cultures.

One way to encourage students to study abroad is to push students to study at another university during the spring of their sophomore year. This helps avoid the stresses of a junior paper and the strains of a department making life difficult for their students who wish to go abroad. Another way would be for Tilghman to publicly state what she has already implicitly said: that Princeton is not perfect and that other universities and cultures can actually teach our students something of worth. This would put to rest notions to the contrary that students — and some departments — have about the unique value of time in class at Princeton.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that Nassau Hall’s internationalization efforts will also change life for those students who pass up the opportunity to use their passport. If the Bridge Year program does indeed expand to 100 students, that would mean that at least one in 12 students at the University would take a year off before walking through FitzRandolph gate. These Bridge Year students would almost certainly bring a new perspective to precept discussions. Also, if our current cohort of international students’ discomfort with the Street is any indication, students who studied abroad might also constitute a critical mass of students interested in engaging in a social scene that is not centered around the eating clubs.

Internationalizing Princeton is a laudable goal, but it will not succeed at the undergraduate level unless the administration commits more resources. I have no doubt that Tilghman will do what is needed; the administration has a good record on succeeding in implementing its major initiatives. As such, students should start preparing themselves. An internationalized Princeton won’t look like your daddy’s Princeton.