The 25 Best Institutions for Higher Education 2017

An Abridgement of Princeton’s
Legacy d
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rinceton is one of the oldest universities in the United States and one of
Pthe most prestigious in the world. Founded in Elizabeth, N.J., in 1746, the
college moved to Newark one year later and in 1756 to its current location
in Princeton, N.J. It was known as the College of New Jersey until 1896, when
expanded program offerings brought the college university status and the name of
the institution was formally changed to Princeton University.
One of nine colonial colleges founded in British North America before the
American Revolution in 1776, Princeton and six other colonial colleges are part
of the Ivy League athletic conference.
Princeton’s central campus consists of approximately 9 million square feet of
space in more than 190 buildings on 500 acres. The University also
accommodates more than 1,000 units, totaling more than 1.2 million square feet,
of rental housing for graduates and faculty/staff. The University owns more than
1,040 acres in the Municipality of Princeton, more than 860 acres in Plainsboro
Township and more than 520 acres in West Windsor Township. The University is
renowned for its architecture, which integrates a wide range of styles dating from
its founding in the 18th century to contemporary structures such as the Lewis
Library designed by Frank Gehry and the new Lewis Center for the Arts that
opened in the fall of 2017. The University, with approximately 6,600
benefits-eligible employees, is one of the region’s largest private employers.
It brings close to 800,000 visitors and approximately $2 billion in economic
activity to the region each year. The University provides its students with
academic, extracurricular and other resources — in a residential community
committed to diversity — that prepare them for positions of leadership and lives
of service in many fields of human endeavor.
Living up to its unofficial motto, “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of
Humanity,” Princeton University has educated thousands of individuals who have
dedicated their lives to public service, including two U.S. presidents (Woodrow
Wilson and James Madison); hundreds of U.S. and state legislators (the House of
Representatives, for example, has housed a Princeton alumnus every year since it
first met in 1789); and 44 governors, including 11 New Jersey governors. Each
year, many members of the student body, faculty, staff and local alumni volunteer
in community service projects throughout the region. And the University, as an
institution, supports many service initiatives.
As a global research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels of
distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding.
At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its
commitment to undergraduate teaching. Interdisciplinary work is vital to
Princeton and is reflected in a full spectrum of academic programs.