Despite these many accomplishments, Malkiel’s legacy will be most tied to the implementation of grade deflation. Having created much debate on campus and around the country for the University’s strict grading guidelines, this policy has also faced much opposition and ill will from Princeton students and alumni. While it is true that grade inflation is a growing problem across the nation, the Editorial Board continues to question the wisdom of Princeton’s grading policy, particularly considering its potential harm to students’ prospects after graduation. Although the consequences of this policy have not yet been realized, the board expects that in time this policy will come to be recognized as well-intentioned but overly severe.
The exit of Malkiel next year, followed by President Shirley Tilghman’s planned retirement in June 2013, marks the end of a transformative era in Princeton’s history. As University Provost Christopher Eisgruber ’83 and the search committee begin considering Malkiel’s replacement, they should seek a successor who is willing to look critically at and potentially overturn some of the policies Malkiel implemented. Though not all have been equally lauded, the changes Malkiel enacted during her time as dean of the college showed a foresight and vision for undergraduate life and the University as a whole. In selecting a successor, this same vision is needed both to examine where Princeton stands and to imagine what it can become.
Read More
Can a bacchanal Reunions be a sustainability lab?
Darren MilmanThe path to a net-zero Reunions remains uncertain. But Earth Brands’ story proves that the same university known for beer jackets and century-old traditions can also launch the next wave of sustainable solutions.
The path to a net-zero Reunions remains uncertain. But Earth Brands’ story proves that the same university known for beer jackets and century-old traditions can also launch the next wave of sustainable solutions.
$56,000 in debt at graduation is not the financial aid Princeton advertises
Avi CheslerTake my story as an example — despite repeated evidence, both before and after taking out loans, that I would be unable to pay what Princeton asked of me — the University never set a cost that I could truly meet loan-free.
In the Garden State’s service and the service of humanity
Olivia Ragan, Lauren Aung, and Madison LintonIt is important to cultivate in students interest in local and state level change, because it is the most direct way to give back to the New Jersey community that sustains the University.