Edward Champlin - Butler College
Classics professor Edward Champlin will begin his sixth year as master of Butler college this September.
Champlin has expressed enthusiasm about becoming deeply involved with the issues that are important to students.
"I was educated in colleges that were parts of universities, such as Oxford, and I really enjoyed that college life," he said early in his tenure. "I'd like to get into the life of the college."
At the time, Champlin identified several "University-wide" issues he would like to address in Butler. Among those are the integration of students from lowerand upper-class backgrounds, addressing the future of minority affairs advising and having Butler alumni from the junior and senior classes come back to visit the college.
Champlin said he and his family moved into the master's house at 39 University Place to remain close to the college. Champlin also moved his primary office from East Pyne to Wu Hall.
"He has a firsthand interest in students and in making the college system work," said Molly Robinson GS, assistant master of the college.
"He's been great to work for," Robinson added. "He's a lot of fun and very witty. He always has a good sense of humor."
Champlin joined the Princeton faculty in 1975 and has taught three popular undergraduate courses in the classics department — the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and Roman Law. He has written widely on Roman history, including a book titled, "Fronto and Antonine Rome," which was published in 1980.
Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel described Champlin as a "widely admired" professor with "warmth, energy and imagination [who demonstrates] the kind of leadership and vision that one would wish for in a college master."
Andrea La Paugh - Forbes College
Computer science professor Andrea La Paugh will take over as master of Forbes College this fall, replacing religion professor John Gager, who has served at Forbes for the past eight years.
La Paugh said she is looking forward to the challenges of being a college master, but she remains somewhat nervous about the new position.
"It's something one has to consider very carefully. I had to be very careful because it's a big commitment for me and for the students in Forbes," she said.
Despite her anxiety, La Paugh said she is definitely eager to begin. "When I thought about doing it, I got really excited," she said. "I have an excellent staff who really know how the college runs. There's plenty of guidance and experience."
La Paugh hopes to devlop her own niche in the college. "I have to find my own style," she said. "The first thing I want to do is see what things are going on."
She graduated from Cornell University in 1974 and received an M.S. in 1977 and a Ph.D. in 1980 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She taught at Brown University for a year before she came to Princeton in 1981.
At Princeton, La Paugh has taught COS 111: Computers and Computing and COS 425: Database Systems, as well as several graduate-level courses on digital information access. She specializes in computer-aided design of digital systems and also serves as associate chair of the department.
The master's position has interested La Paugh for several years, she said, noting that she has served on several committees that deal with student life issues.
"To become a master you really have to be prepared to be really involved in the college life," she said. "It's a very strong tradition that the master entertain advisees, and that means it's not just something that I do on my own. It's something that comes into my home and my family."
David Carrasco - Mathey College
Religion professor David Carrasco returns to Mathey for his seventh year as master after taking a leave of absence last year to conduct research for the Oxford Encyclopedia of Meso-American Cultures, of which he is editor-in-chief.
Carrasco is perhaps best known to undergraduates for his course on American Indian religions.
"He's an exceptional teacher who has captivated Princeton students," Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel said. "He's someone of great warmth and extraordinary qualities that I think will serve him well in Mathey."
Carrasco spent the 1991-1992 academic year on campus as a visiting professor from the University of Colorado. He returned to Princeton to join the religion department the following year.
Reflecting on what drew him back to Princeton, Carrasco explained, "During the year I was here, it seemed to me there was a capacity at Princeton to 'activate the differences.' "
"There was a debate, a dialogue going on about diversity," he said. "There was a conversation that I wanted to be a part of."
Carrasco has written several books on ritual violence, cultural performance and American Indian and Aztec religions.
Maria DiBattista - Rockefeller College
English professor Maria DiBattista will begin the second year of her term as master of Rockefeller College this fall. She replaced Germanic languages and literature professor Michael Jennings last year.
"I was actually acting master when Mike Jennings went on leave several years ago, and that was kind of scouting the territory," she said. "Given my interest in women's studies and language, it will be very interesting to see how the mastership is redefined or readapted by a female head."
DiBattista said the position of master has intrigued her for a long time.
"Obviously it's going to be a relationship that's going to have to evolve because I don't really think there's that much precedence," she said.
A graduate of Stanford University, DiBattista came to Princeton in 1974. She has taught a variety of classes on literature, film and poetry. "My primary love has always been the novel," she said.
DiBattista said she plans to take advantage of her new position's perspective on college life.
"Life here outside the classroom has different kinds of challenges just because of the whole social demeanor of the place, the social reputation of the place," she said. "I want to see how much difference there is between reputation and actuality."
DiBattista said she thinks one of the most important roles of a college master is to make students feel comfortable at the University by encouraging "a rich extracurricular life with things like film and drama and anything on the artistic side." She said she also looks forward to doing community work with students.
DiBattista said she is especially enthusiastic about working with freshmen.
"One of the things that really prompted me to take this job, even though I really feel like it's unknown territory, is that I so loved teaching [a] freshman seminar," she said.
Miguel Centeno - Wilson College
Associate Professor of Sociology Miguel Centeno describes his job as master of Wilson College as "a little like simultaneously running a 500-person seminar and a medium-size hotel."
"Sometimes I get to teach the students something, other times I make sure their rooms work and, rarely, I have to remind them to be civilized," he said.
Centeno took over as master of Wilson in July 1997.
Though he explained that his job has its drawbacks — namely dealing with student "escapades" — he enjoys the opportunity to get to know more students on a social as well as an intellectual level.
"On the plus side, you also get to know a few [students], maybe 50 per year, very well and sometimes even have an impact on their lives," he said.
"My only complaint," he added, "is that students seem reluctant to make use of the opportunities for faculty contact. I would love it if a few more sat down with my family and me at meals."
Centeno joined the sociology department in 1990 and has taught a variety of courses, including freshman seminars. In 1997, he won the University's Presidential Teaching Prize.
He is the author of two books — "Mexico in the 1990s" and "Democracy within Reason: Technocratic Revolution in Mexico" — and is the editor of one. He also has written more than a dozen journal articles and book chapters.
Centeno received a Ph.D. in sociology, an M.B.A. and a B.A. in history from Yale University.
Read More
Students support local businesses with new platform Zage
Jack AllenAfter hearing about the struggles faced by a number of these restaurants after students left campus in mid-March, Dilbagi created Zage, an online platform that allows community members to send money to local businesses now to redeem as credits on their purchases in the future.
This fall, go beyond the 'Bubble'
Dora ZhaoEven though classes are picking up, weekends are the perfect time for students to escape the Orange Bubble. While going out to eat on Nassau is enjoyable, there is so much to see beyond Princeton. For those looking for a day trip or a chance to explore the area outside of Princeton, here is a list of ideas to do this fall.
A ramen tour of Princeton
Amy WatskyThe Prospect reviews three ramen restaurants in the Princeton area.
