News from
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Office of Communications
Stanhope Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08544-5264
Telephone 609-258-3601; Fax 609-258-1301Contact: Mary Caffrey (609) 258-5748
Date: May 18, 1999
Princeton University Plans 252nd Commencement for June 1
President Shapiro to Address Graduates; Baccalaureate Speaker is Marian Wright Edelman
Princeton, N.J. -- Princeton University will hold its 252nd Commencement on June 1, 1999, with the ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at noon. Commencement is held on the lawn in front of Nassau Hall, rain or shine. Members of the media are invited to attend and should confirm with Mary Caffrey in the Office of Communications by Friday, May 28. Please note, the office will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 31.
Seating for commencement begins at 9:30 a.m. Members of the media can pick up their press credentials and materials beginning at 9 a.m. and should obtain them no later than 10:15 a.m. The processional begins at 10:35 a.m., and all members of the media should be in place by that time. If you cannot reach Mary Caffrey on the morning of commencement, the number for the Office of Communications is 609-258-3601.
Princeton University President Harold T. Shapiro will be the commencement speaker. The ceremony will include presentations of honorary degrees, teaching awards for Princeton faculty, and awards to four New Jersey secondary school teachers. Princeton does not announce its honorary degree recipients prior to the day of commencement. Recipients will be available for a photo opportunity inside Nassau Hall at approximately 10 a.m. prior to the start of the processional.
On Sunday, May 30, Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, will address members of the Class of 1999 at the Baccalaureate service in the University Chapel. Seating inside the chapel is limited to members of the class; however, members of the media can cover the speech from overflow sites outside the chapel and in nearby classrooms. Members of the media who wish to cover the Baccalaureate should contact Mary Caffrey by May 28.
Commencement follows the annual Reunions Weekend at Princeton, which includes the famous "P-rade." The parade of alumni begins at 2 p.m. from the FitzRandolph Gates on Nassau Street and winds through campus, ending at Pardee Field. A full schedule of reunion activities is available on the University web site, www.princeton.edu.