Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 will step down from his position at the end of December, concluding 31 years of service marked by involvement in myriad aspects of the University.
Robert Durkee '69 has been tapped to take on most of Wright's responsibilities — which include administrative support for the Board of Trustees and staffing for the president's office — in addition to his current role as vice president for public affairs.
"I'm delighted to have this opportunity to work more closely with President Tilghman and the University," Durkee said.
Wright currently oversees the general counsel and the vice president for campus life, but beginning next year those offices will report directly to Tilghman.
"He has served as the senior adviser to three presidents with extraordinary intelligence and judgment," Tilghman said. "It is a great loss for Princeton."
Wright's time at the University began under President Goheen as a student, and his first day as an administrator was President Bowen's first day as president — and it is working with those individuals that he said he will remember most fondly.
"Princeton is extraordinarily fortunate to have had a run of four exceptional people as president," he said.
"That makes a big difference in the history of a university, if you can have sustained superb leadership for 40 to 50 years. The institution just grows and becomes a far stronger place."
He also praised the 180 trustees he has known for being "extremely, extremely dedicated — much more so than our peer institutions."
Wright began contemplating retirement in 2001 and spoke about it informally with newly elected Tilghman.
"She said it would be helpful if I stayed in place for the first couple of years of her presidency," Wright explained.
Tilghman brought a number of strengths to the job but lacked administrative experience, he explained, so she was seeking "administrative continuity."
At her request, Wright led the search committees for several key administrative positions and oversaw plans to expand housing to accommodate the 500-student increase to begin in 2006.
The University, he said, is "very dramatically better in every way than it was 40 years ago," and he said he is confident that he is leaving it in good hands.
"President Tilghman is an extraordinary person and a great leader," he said.
"She's building on a very strong foundation and she's going to take it to new heights."
Wright said his only regret is not being able to see the changes from the inside.
Instead, he will be content to "watch from a distance" — 1,600 miles, to be exact.
Separation
He plans to spend most of the year at his house on Vieques Island in the Caribbean.
Wright, who attended Harvard Law School after graduation, never imagined a career as an administrator.
He left a law firm in 1972 to become the University's first general counsel — only the second such position across the country — because he thought it "was an exciting opportunity to create a position."
Universities had relied on outside firms for legal advice until then, but a combination of new government regulations and increasingly frequent litigation made it more sensible to have an in-house lawyer.
"I thought that I'd probably stay around for three to five years," Wright recalled. "I saw myself as having career as a lawyer, but I never went back."
New responsibilities
Over the years, Wright's responsibilities increased. He was appointed secretary in 1974 and in 1990 gave up his role as general counsel to become vice president.
Having worked closely with Durkee during the past 30 years Wright is confident handing over the bulk of his responsibilities to him.
The two started in the University's administration within months of each other in 1972.
Public affairs
Though Durkee has appointed Karen Jezierny, head of the Policy Research Institute for the Region, as director of public affairs, he will continue to oversee the office in his continuing role as leading public affairs.
In his new role, Durkee said he hopes to follow Wright's example.
"[Tilghman] tried very hard to persuade Tom not to retire yet, and we would have all been delighted if he'd been willing to stay on indefinitely," Durkee said.
"It's a sobering and humbling experience to see all he's done, and I will do very well if I can do the job he's done."
Read More
‘Princeton Collects’ is too chaotic for cohesion
Sena ChangShowcasing 150 donated works, “Princeton Collects” pairs objects across time and cultures, producing an exhibition that remains chaotic despite attempts to understand the pairings.
Showcasing 150 donated works, “Princeton Collects” pairs objects across time and cultures, producing an exhibition that remains chaotic despite attempts to understand the pairings.
Eclectic pairings and interconnecting cultures: Transition spaces in the art museum
Haeon Lee and Amaya TaylorIn the Princeton University Art Museum, the art is everywhere — including in the hallways.
In the Princeton University Art Museum, the art is everywhere — including in the hallways.
Despite crowded central displays, the Ancient Americas pavilion gives some works space to breathe
Cynthia TorresThe Art of the Ancient Americas pavilion features dense displays and the Princeton Vase. The pavilion represents art up to 5,000 years old.
The Art of the Ancient Americas pavilion features dense displays and the Princeton Vase. The pavilion represents art up to 5,000 years old.