With its dark wood and leather decor, the Princeton Club of New York looks tailor-made for older Tigers. But the Club is now planning a concerted effort to boost membership among undergraduates and young alumni, possibly including on-campus study breaks and a weekend bus service between the University and the Club's facilities in New York.
The Club has a handful of undergraduate members right now, but "we'd like to see more of them," said Robert Gambee '64, a member of the Club's board of governors.
Current efforts to promote the Club among undergraduates include lunches, mixers, athletic events and scholarship awards. The Club has traditionally maintained an on-campus presence during senior week and senior checkout each year to raise its profile among young alumni.
The Club is now considering offering regular study breaks on campus and a weekend bus service between the University and New York, said Glenn Gang, the Club's membership director.
Though the Club's total membership is approximately 6,500 alumni, Gang would not discuss specific numbers of undergraduate members or young alumni members.
"We are a private membership club, and we do try to respect the rights of our members," he said.
A current centerpiece of the Club's campaign to raise its profile among undergraduates is the presentation of 13 scholarship awards to students at a ceremony held in February each year.
The scholarships, which together awarded more than $41,000 in 2005, are administered by the University, but the Club defines the criteria by which students are selected. For example, some awards are restricted to students who live in New York City; one is devoted to students from Maine.
Four of the awards are "Princeton Club of New York Scholars," which are funded by biannual appeals to Club members.
Gang said most current undergraduate members use the Club — especially its fitness facilities and squash courts — during the summer while they work or intern in the city.
"Fitness facilities are very reasonably priced," said Tania Shanikawa '97, who sits on the board of governors. "That's a huge draw for younger members because prices elsewhere in the city are exorbitant."
Gambee also touted other amenities and advantages of Club membership, from access to the restaurants, library and lounge in its New York facilities to reciprocal privileges with 60 other clubs around the world.
Princeton Club members enjoy discounted accommodations in all the clubs, ranging from the Wellington Club in New Zealand to the Kowloon Club in Hong Kong.
Even as they highlighted those perks, however, Club officials said the social benefits of membership should be the biggest draw for undergraduates and young alums.
"A number of my friends in my [Princeton] class are friends I did not know on campus, but I met at the Club," Shanikawa said. She met many Princetonians at Club happy hours and mixers.
"It's a great place to hang out with friends," Gambee agreed.
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