News

Christie aide: ‘World is watching’ US economy

On Tuesday night in McCosh 28, the College Republicans hosted a lecture by Richard Bagger ’82, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s chief of staff. Bagger began by examining the changes in the political climate of the United States since his time as an undergraduate before moving on to discuss the current problems confronting New Jersey as well as the nation at large.

Saving lives outside the Bubble

34 student members of the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad and the 11 members of the Princeton Student Firefighter Association regularly break routine to serve the Princeton community at large, building relationships with residents and learning more about the region’s character and history in the process.

Katzenjammer finalist in U.K. talent competition

Katzenjammer member Benjamin Taub ’13 has been selected as one of 50 finalists out of over 7,500 contestants in the U.K. talent competition “The Big Audition.”

Decision on Valley Road School delayed

The decision regarding the fate of the former Valley Road School will be delayed until June 2012, according to a Sept. 21 statement by Princeton Regional Schools.

Consolidation debate heats up at meeting

Local residents from the Princeton Borough and Princeton Township discussed the merits of the proposed municipal consolidation at a joint meeting of the Borough Council and Township Committee at a meeting Tuesday evening.

News & Notes: Driggs ’52, renowned jazz producer, dies

Grammy-winning jazz record producer, archivist and historian Frank Driggs ’52 passed away of natural causes on Tuesday in his Manhattan home at the age of 81.

News & Notes: Holt touts new N.J. education grant funds

Rep. Rush Holt announced on Monday that the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education will receive a sizable grant under the federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs program. The grant is expected to be extended for six years, and the state will receive $3,978,424 in its first year.

Alumnus endows economics center

Benjamin Griswold IV ’62 and his family have gifted the Center for Economic Policy Studies with a substantial endowment, the University announced on Monday. Founded in 1989 by economics professor Alan Blinder ’67, the center has committed itself to supporting research and conducting seminars on the many intersections of economics, business and government.

Township candidates praise arts neighborhood

All of the four candidates for the Princeton Township Committee this fall support the University’s proposed Arts and Transit Neighborhood, as they explained in last night’s debate. All but one of the candidates supports municipal consolidation.

View from the bench: Judges share world view

Students and community members gathered in McCormick Hall on Monday afternoon for a panel discussion titled “Judging Around the World.” Chief Justice of New Zealand Dame Sian Elias and former Advocate General at the European Court of Justice Miguel Poiares Maduro headlined the panel, which was hosted by the University’s Program in Law and Public Affairs.

Composer and critic talk friendship, arts and music

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich, former drama critic and columnist for The New York Times, spoke on Monday as a part of the Public Lectures Series in McCarter Theater.

U. redefines sexual misconduct

The first meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community met at 4:30 p.m. in the Friend Center Auditorium on Monday. After an introductory speech given by the new Dean of the College Valerie Smith, Provost Chris Eisgruber ’83 took the podium to discuss changes to the language in the University’s sexual misconduct policies. “There were ways our procedures were quite complicated,” Eisgruber said, noting that appeals of accusations had to go through a number of different committees. “What we are bringing to you today are some changes to the rules of conduct that govern the entire university community.”

News & Notes: Obama honors 2 professors for scientific contributions

President Barack Obama named University professors Amit Singer and Benjamin Garcia recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers on Monday. The awards are the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers in the initial stages of their research careers.

Website directed at Tilghman aims to give Greek life a voice

Last week, Zeta Psi member Josh Miller, formerly a member of the Class of 2012 who recently decided to take a voluntary leave of absence to launch an Internet start-up in New York, launched a website under the domain name stopshirley.com that aims to facilitate the kind of discussion that Miller feels has been lacking.

Blumenfeld ’13 to seek school board spot

Tired of seeing adults in the K-12 education reform movement prioritizing their own interests over the well-being of students, Andrew Blumenfeld ’13 is taking matters into his own hands. A former student in the La Canada Unified School District, Blumenfeld has decided to run for a four-year position on his local school district board with the hopes of bringing about change in a community close to his heart.

Ambassador Bodine discusses patterns and implications of Arab Spring

Ambassador Barbara Bodine, former U.S. ambassador to Yemen and lecturer in the Wilson School, discussed patterns of the Arab Spring in Whig Hall on Sunday. Bodine is also the director of the Wilson School’s Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative.

5 graduate students named Siebel Scholars for work in computer science

Computer science Ph.D. candidates Anirudh Badam, Robert Dockins, Wyatt Lloyd and Chong Wang and master’s degree candidate Nicholas Jones are the first University graduate students to receive the Siebel Scholars award, an award for leading scholars in top computer science and business programs.

Installation to begin on solar energy collection field

Construction of the University’s new West Windsor solar panel field is set to begin next week after months of planning and permit-seeking from local, county and state authorities. The project’s completion has been scheduled for summer 2012. The 5.3-megawatt solar field collector will occupy 27 acres of University-owned land in West Windsor Township.

Cartoon: eXpressions of Love

News and Notes: Professor, a scholar of DaVinci, dies of cancer

Almon Richard “Dick” Turner GS ’59, author of “Inventing Leonardo” and former University professor of art and archaeology, died on Sept. 9 in Cape May Court House, N.J. The cause of death was lymphoma, according to his son Louis.