English professor and current interim master of Rockefeller College Jeff Nunokawa will serve a full four-year term as Rocky master, the University announced Monday.
Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel and Dean of Undergraduate Students Kathleen Deignan praised Nunokowa for leading a "flourishing" community in a memo to the Rockefeller College community.
"He is fully engaged in leading his staff to provide the kind of stimulating, engaging, supportive college environment we expect residential colleges to offer our students," Malkiel said in an email.
The news comes as a surprise because the University announced in February that Nunokawa would only serve as master for one interim year, after which he would be replaced by religion professor Marie Griffith. Because Griffith is expecting a baby, however, she and Malkiel agreed that she will not serve as master next year.
"A college mastership requires an intensive investment of time that really isn't compatible with caring for an infant," Malkiel said. She added that college masters in the past have had children but not newborns. Malkiel said she herself may be a college master at a later date.
Despite the unexpected nature of his appointment, Nunokawa says he is "totally thrilled" to be continuing his post as Rocky master.
Nunokawa first joined the Princeton community as a professor in 1988. The author of several books, Nunokawa is mainly interested in gender studies, theory and criticism, and 19th-century British literature.
In addition to teaching, Nunokawa had served as a faculty fellow and freshman adviser at Rockefeller College and has been a fellow at Wilson College.
"My biggest goal is to create a community where everyone feels welcome, and I intend to do everything in my power to bring that about," Nunokawa said.
To achieve this goal, Nunokawa plans to have informal events such as parties at his home for upperclass Rocky alumni and formal orientation programs for freshmen.
The invitations would make it clear that "juniors and seniors are welcome back and, moreover, that sophomores are not forgotten," he said.
In a Daily Princetonian article last year, Nunokawa lightheartedly pledged to eat every meal in the Rocky dining hall. In reference to his previous joke, Nunokawa said that while his goal was never realized, eating meals with undergraduates has been an important part of his experience this year. He added that he enjoys dining with different types of students whose interests vary widely.
"It used to be completely exotic for me to talk with a history major," he said, adding that he now gets to talk with students who have concentrations with "acronyms that I have to learn." Nunokawa said that one of the great benefits of being in his position is the chance to not only teach and inspire students, but to learn from them as well.
Lindsey Olson '08, a Rocky RCA, described Nunokawa in an email as "someone I seek out at the dining hall."
"He just exudes passion," Olson added, "and gets you even more excited about whatever it is that makes you tick."
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