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Lecture courses expand as interests of students shift

Lecture courses expand as interests of students shift

When students take a course with a great professor, word will always get out.Whether through the Student Course Guide's reviews, a professor's popularity or word of mouth, some courses which began with modest enrollments may double or even triple in size.One such course is COS 109: Computers in Our World.

NEWS | 09/29/2004

New provost embraces challenges

Imagine, for a moment, explaining to a six-year-old boy ? his name is Danny ? what it means to be the provost of Princeton University.You explain that it's "sort of like being the vice president of the University.""So, what do you do?" he asks."Well, I help the president," you reply after a pause, trying to keep things simple as possible.Danny looks at you, wide-eyed and smiling.

NEWS | 09/29/2004

Students secretly 'builder' campus

A student ? who refused to be named, so we will call him Peter '05 ? knows there are no shortcuts to the top.Last week he climbed the new ellipse dormitory.

NEWS | 09/29/2004

Conversation Partners helps TAs learn English

Explaining Thanksgiving Day to foreigners can be tricky business. For Julia Philip '06, the problem was finding the correct props."I was trying to find a picture of a pilgrim, and I couldn't," she said smiling.

NEWS | 09/29/2004

Newly enforced late meal policies create confusion

At 9:45 p.m. one night last week, Christine Galib '08 went to Frist Campus Center to satisfy a late-night food craving.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Searching for the best textbook deals

With one trip to the U-Store, one walk through the aisles and one swipe of his credit card, Alex Lenahan '07 purchased his books for this semester.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Leonard '85 receives 2004 'genius award'

Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Naomi Leonard '85 was named a 2004 MacArthur Fellow for her work on constructing underwater gliders that survey the ocean.A MacArthur Fellowship, commonly referred to as the "genius award," includes a $500,000 "no strings attached" grant for five years.Leonard's work, focused primarily on how to program the gliders to efficiently survey the ocean, was funded by the Office of Naval Research.The vehicles can be used both to predict the weather and in a military context."We could understand what an environment is like quickly and determine if it is safe for people," Leonard said.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Foreign grad school apps down

Ipek Yosmaoglu, a Turkish citizen, applied to the University's graduate school before Sept. 11, 2001.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Edwards' Newark appearance draws student supporters

NEWARK ? Kit Toller '08 stood in busy Penn Station here holding a decaying, rain-soaked Kerry/Edwards campaign sign he had just been using as a makeshift umbrella."Next time, I'll bring a rain jacket," he said.Toller and several other students traveled through a torrential downpour to Newark on Tuesday to hear Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards speak at a rally before hundreds of supporters.Recent polls showing a tighter race than had been expected in New Jersey, a traditionally "blue" ? Democratic-leaning ? state, gave particular political importance to Edwards' visit.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

New Borough plaza near completion

The new Borough plaza, located next to the public library in downtown Princeton, is scheduled to be completed after fall break.The plaza, funded in part by the University, remains nameless at this point.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Bartending 101 course goes dry

"In vino veritas," the saying goes. Yes, in wine there is truth, but for students in Bartending 101, offered by the Princeton Bartending Agency, wine also offers friends, instruction and lots of cash.The question is: Does the course offer real alcohol?According to Mia Boserup '05, manager of the bartending agency, colored water, not real alcohol, will be used in the course this year.She declined to comment on whether or not real alcohol was used in past years.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

Gorbea '98 called from reserves for duty in Iraq

When Carlos Gorbea '98 reads about a soldier dying in Iraq, he searches for the details that might save his life.News of a fallen soldier has always affected Gorbea, who grew up in a military family.

NEWS | 09/28/2004

University fills vacancy at helm of mental health services

The University announced Monday that it has hired John Kolligian to fill the vacant director of counseling and psychological services post.Marvin Geller retired from the position in 2003 after 35 years on the job.In January, the University created a committee chaired by Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson to search for a suitable replacement, University Chief Medical Officer and selection committee member Daniel Silverman said.A consulting firm was also hired to aid in the search.

NEWS | 09/27/2004

History dept. seeks McPherson replacement

Great ideas come to people in the strangest of ways ? some occur while shaving, others in the middle of a long run.

NEWS | 09/27/2004

Malkiel details implementation of grade plan

Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel issued updates on the implementation of the anti-grade inflation policy ? passed by the faculty last April ? at this year's first meeting of the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC).The meeting, open to all members of the University, also covered Greek life issues and the first annual Pre-Rade.Students began the discussion by asking whether the new grading principle would hurt their chances at employment or admission to graduate school."I expect to send out thousands of letters to graduate institutions and employers showing how Princeton grades are real grades, unlike the inflated grades of our peer institutions," Malkiel said.In the report, Malkiel laid out her schematic for practically enforcing the new grade inflation policy.Beginning next academic year, she said, the percentage of A's awarded by each department and certificate program will be made available to both the University and the public at large.USG president Matt Margolin '05 said he assumed the University had a plan to counter the potential loss in student interest in departments publicized as awarding too many A grades.Malkiel said that, in addition to devising the peer review system, she met with each of the departmental chairs.

NEWS | 09/27/2004

Salaries reflect competitive forces

Is your economics professor who can't seem to communicate outside of the supply-demand graph equally as competent an instructor as your fluent Italian literature professor?

NEWS | 09/27/2004

Professors' walls speak volumes

There is no hiding in the office of Cornel West GS '80.Hundreds of faces, unmoving yet alive, peer at anyone who enters the room from the covers of books and recordings.From Chekhov to Coltrane, Kafka to Chuck D, Andre 3000 to Arthur Miller, the religion professor has arranged the works that line his walls to face outward, so that from every angle he is surrounded by his "soul mates."West achieved this effect in his office in 1879 Hall by filling his mahogany shelves first with rows of books arranged as usual, then adding an outer layer of portrait-bearing covers."They challenge me, they keep me honest, they help me aspire to high standards of integrity," West said of the figures, all chosen because of their "unique fusion of Socratic questioning and prophetic witness against the backdrop of tragicomic hope."West's office is one example of how Princeton's luminaries decorate their workspaces.

NEWS | 09/27/2004

Students on duty

Ben Klaber '05 appears to be just like any other University senior. He chats about starting work on his thesis, planning activities at Colonial Club ? where he is an officer ? and anticipating Friday night movie showings at Frist Campus Center.

NEWS | 09/26/2004

Recent classes offer more artistic talent

In recent years, the Undergraduate Admission Office has aimed to emphasize artistic talent more strongly in incoming classes.

NEWS | 09/26/2004

New Jersey faces possible smoking ban

The patrons of Ivy Inn don't flinch at the smoke that fills the bar and pool rooms, and wafts onto nearby tables."If some of these people couldn't smoke, they wouldn't be here," says a patron, who wished only to be identified as a longtime resident of Princeton.

NEWS | 09/26/2004

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