Michelle Obama '85 to return to Princeton area for fundraiser next month

First Lady Michelle Obama ’85 will return to the Princeton area for a mid-level fundraiser for her husband’s reelection campaign next month, her first public return to the Orange Bubble in a number of years, the campaign announced.

Obama will speak on Sept. 23 at the Princeton Township home of Andrew Golden, president of the Princeton University Investment Company, which manages the University’s endowment. The event charges each guest $1,000 to attend – and $10,000 to leave with a photo with the featured speaker. The donations are funneled to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee between the President’s reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Dan Day, a University spokesperson, said the University was not aware of any planned on-campus events featuring the First Lady.

The First Lady has had a tense relationship with her alma mater, voicing discomfort with how the University treated African-American students in her thesis titled, “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community.” She made news in 2010 when she declined to return to the University for her 25th Reunion.

For at least the past five years, Golden and his wife Carol have made consistent campaign contributions to Democratic candidates and organizations. Andrew Golden donated $12,476 to Democratic groups since 2007, according to public campaign donation data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics. Golden's wife, a community activist and a board member for the local Planned Parenthood, has donated $20,269 to Democratic groups and candidates in the last five years. Both have donated to the campaigns of Barack Obama and Rep. Rush Holt, who represents Princeton.

Andrew Golden declined to comment on the event.