Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.36
Liaison Andrew D'Amico
Submission Date Nov. 13, 2024

STARS v2.2

Princeton University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.92 / 3.00 Andrew D'Amico
Assistant Director
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Non-discrimination statement 

Does the institution have a publicly posted non-discrimination statement? :
Yes

The non-discrimination statement, including the website URL where the policy is publicly accessible:

https://rrr.princeton.edu/eop

https://inclusive.princeton.edu/addressing-concerns/policies/policy-discrimination-andor-harassment


Bias response team 

Does the institution have a discrimination response protocol or committee (sometimes called a bias response team)?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s discrimination response protocol or team:
 
The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED) coordinates the University’s bias review function and administers the University's Policy on Discrimination and/or Harassment, which prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The office provides information regarding reporting bias, discrimination, and harassment; develops related training for campus community members; and oversees and conducts associated investigations. The office oversees compliance with the ADA and Section 504, Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Affirmative Action (OFCCP), and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEOC) and other relevant federal and state laws and regulations.  Information regarding reporting and response protocols for incidents of bias, discrimination, and harassment can be accessed at:  https://inclusive.princeton.edu/addressing-concerns/bias-discrimination-harassment
 
OIED creates and continually updates informational materials and communications to inform the campus community of support resources and reporting options when incidents of bias, harassment, and discrimination occur. The Office also regularly reviews bias reporting trends to identify areas where remedial measures and proactive steps can be taken to help improve the campus climate. 
 
Given an increased virtual presence, OIED provides guidance, resources, and reporting/response protocols (including online webinars and tip sheets) to assist the campus community in navigating instances of online abuse and harassment.  https://inclusive.princeton.edu/addressing-concerns/electronic-online-harassment
 
https://inclusive.princeton.edu/addressing-concerns/policies/policy-discrimination-andor-harassment#Policy-Complaint-Faculty&Staff 

Recruitment programs 

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit students from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs designed specifically to recruit non-academic staff from underrepresented groups?:
No

If yes to any of the above, provide:

A brief description of the institution’s programs to recruit students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:

Princeton University has launched a series of initiatives to create a more diverse, safe, and accessible campus and to develop and promote a more inclusive culture. The Univerisity is committed to recruiting, retaining and supporting a diverse community of students, faculty and staff.

The following examples of recruitment strategies to diversify the student populations include:

• Several programs are available to support low-income, historically underrepresented minority, and first-generation students' academic achievement from high school through post-baccalaureate study. 

• The percentage of Pell-eligible undergraduate students at Princeton has dramatically increased, from 7% in the Class of 2008 to 22% in the Class of 2025. Princeton University's financial aid policy is recognized as among the most generous in the country. 62% of Princeton undergraduates receive financial aid. Financial aid is based solely on a student's need. Students from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds — from low-income to applicants with family incomes of $250,000 — can receive aid that meets their demonstrated need. For example, 100% of tuition, college fees, and room and board for families earning up to $100,000 is covered for students in the Class of 2022. Students admitted to the Class of 2025 who applied for aid with family incomes up to $160,000 typically pay no tuition. The University's robust financial aid packages are built on grants, which do not have to be repaid. Princeton’s no-loan aid program means that students can graduate debt-free. See Affordable For All | Princeton University

• Princeton has extensive programs to support college access, including the Princeton University Preparatory Program and the Princeton Summer Journalism Program. It hosts multiple nonprofit college access partners annually, including Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA), Matriculate, the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute, and the Warrior Scholar Program, and works regularly with many other organizations such as Questbridge, the Council for Opportunity in Education, Sutton Trust, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, and College Horizons. Princeton is a member of the American Talent Initiative (ATI), which focuses on improving the percentage of low-income students at selective colleges and universities, and Princeton's president, Christopher Eisgruber, is a member of the ATI steering committee. The Office of Admission, the Graduate School, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences all have dedicated staff focused on admission of diverse classes, and all host recruitment events on campus and across the country. See:

https://inclusive.princeton.edu/initiatives/key-initiatives/college-access-success

https://psjp.princeton.edu/

https://pupp.princeton.edu/

Apply | LEDA (ledascholars.org)

http://www.matriculate.org/

W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute Workshop | Council on Science and Technology (princeton.edu)

Examples of recruitment programs for graduate students include:

• The Graduate School appoints Diversity Fellows, current graduate students at the dissertation writing stage of their programs, to follow up with prospective students to encourage them to apply to Princeton. These Fellows also support on-campus programming for both recruitment and retention and occasionally travel with office staff to recruitment events and conferences. Diversity Fellows are paid a modest salary.

• The Graduate School coordinates Open Houses and a Preview Day program, bringing Mellon-Mays Fellows and McNair Scholars to campus. (Both programs target high-potential underrepresented undergraduates interested in doctoral programs). https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/recruitment-and-outreach

• The Pre-Doctoral Fellowship program is a one-year, fully funded fellowship that offers regular admission to the sponsoring doctoral program the following year. The fellowship is intended for students who would benefit from an additional year of training before formally entering the sponsoring departments' PhD program. https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/pre-doctoral-fellowship-initiative

• The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences supports diversifying the graduate student body through programs like the Pathways to Graduate School and Pathway into the Academy, which offer opportunities for prospective and matriculated graduate students to explore the possibilities of both advanced graduate degrees and prepare for careers in the professoriate. See: https://engineering.princeton.edu/graduate-studies/academic-pathways/prospective-graduate-students

https://engineering.princeton.edu/graduate-studies/academic-pathways/prospective-faculty

Examples of targeted recruitment programs for faculty include:

• Several Princeton departments have had success in hiring underrepresented minority assistant professors and providing them with dissertation completion support or in supporting formal postdoctoral fellowships before starting their professorships.

• Princeton’s visiting scholars program and its Presidential postdoctoral research fellows programs are intended to recognize and support scholars who can contribute to the University’s diversity, including members of groups that have been historically underrepresented in the academy. 

Fifteen scholars named Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellows (princeton.edu)

• Opening a new on-campus child care center and providing a need-based child care subsidy program to ensure prospective and current faculty members have the resources they need for appropriate work/life balance and their family members have the tools to thrive in Princeton.


Mentoring, counseling and support programs 

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support, academic support, or other programs designed specifically to support students from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs designed specifically to support academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support non-academic staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs designed specifically to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:
Examples of support for students include:
• Princeton's campus centers are student-focused spaces that support the cultural dimensions of the Princeton experience.
https://inclusive.princeton.edu/community-resources/inclusive-community/campus-centers-offices
• The Graduate Student Support Fund (GSSF) provides grants to Princeton graduate students in good standing to allow them to remain in their program and complete their degree promptly. 
• The Graduate School’s Access, Diversity, and Inclusion Team is a resource to graduate students and departments through mentoring, programming, and partnership.
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/about-us
• The Princeton Grad Scholars Program (GSP) is an exciting new experience for entering first-year graduate students and pre-doctoral students from diverse backgrounds designed to enhance and support academic, social, and community development during their initial graduate school experience.
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/current-students/grad-scholars-program-gsp
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/current-students
 
Examples of support for faculty and staff include:
• Twelve employee resource groups comprise faculty and staff who share common backgrounds and interests and provide opportunities to meet to enhance engagement. Nearly half of Princeton University employees engage in one or more of Princeton’s employee resource groups (ERGs). These volunteer, employee-led organizations are comprised of professionals from across the University who come together based on shared interests and/or identities. ERGs work to create a more inclusive environment and sense of belonging within the University while also remaining engaged with external communities. ERGs are open to all employees, regardless of identity. The most recent additions are the Parents & Caregivers@Princeton ERG and the Women of Princeton ERG. Participating is an excellent way to connect, learn, build allyship, and grow at work. See list of ERGs: https://hr.princeton.edu/life/community#erg
 
Additionally, Princeton supports the development of climate and inclusion committees within individual administrative and academic departments to advance access, diversity, inclusion, and belonging at the unit level. See: https://inclusive.princeton.edu/initiatives/key-initiatives/academic-climate-and-inclusion

Support for future academic staff

Does the institution have training and development programs, teaching fellowships and/or other programs that specifically aim to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members:
Princeton sources talent from every sector of society, creating a dynamic learning and teaching environment primed to inspire transformative academic and research experiences for all.
 
Princeton offers the Princeton University Preparatory Program for high school students and hosts the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) summer program. The Office of the Dean of the College runs the Freshman Scholars Institute for entering freshmen and the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship for underrepresented Princeton students interested in pursuing a career in academia.
• Several academic departments host summer research programs for visiting undergraduates interested in pursuing graduate degrees, including the Department of Molecular Biology, Department of Chemistry, Mid-InfraRed Technologies for Health and the Environment, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and the Graduate School.
 
Princeton has developed a research-based slate of initiatives designed to support and empower first-generation, lower-income, and otherwise underrepresented students as they move "to, through, and beyond" their college experience. These initiatives are described below and organized according to their place in this long pipeline arc. We are currently engaged in a long-term evaluation on the success of these programs. Scholars in these programs also participate in the Residential College Community and Advising system, which provides inclusive academic and co-curricular guidance/advising and ensures that student need is met in a timely and thorough fashion.
 
• Freshman Scholars Institute (FSI): This seven-week summer program allows a cohort of entering Princeton first-generation and/or lower-income students the chance to experience intellectual, co-curricular, and social life at Princeton prior to beginning the fall semester. During the program, the scholars immerse themselves in the intellectually vibrant culture at Princeton through seminar-style courses and/or laboratory research experiences; engage with their fellow scholars in a variety of co-curricular, community-building activities; and work closely with faculty from a range of academic disciplines and fields.
• FSI 2 U: FSI 2 U is an innovative distance learning experience that allows the FSI program to scale and meet students' needs while preserving the high-touch, holistic educational opportunity the residential experience provides. FSI 2 U offers two six-week, non-credit-bearing courses in quantitative reasoning and critical thinking, reading, and writing.
• Scholars Institute Fellows Program: The Scholars Institute Fellows Program expands and enhances FSI, providing any first-generation and/or lower-income student at Princeton with mentorship, academic enrichment, and scholarly community throughout their time at the University. Scholars participate in structured mentoring relationships with more advanced peers, faculty, staff, and alumni to develop their professional networks, learn about the "hidden curriculum" of college through workshops and roundtables, and build a sense of belonging through all-community events.
• Non-traditional, veteran, and transfer student program: In collaboration with SIFP and the residential colleges, the non-traditional, veteran, and transfer program offers these students mentorship, support, academic and professional opportunities, and community as they transition into and through a four-year college environment, while they bring and contribute the full experience of their pre-college lives to Princeton.
• The School of Engineering and Applied Science invites advanced graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to participate in Princeton Pathway into the Academy Program (PPIA). It offers monthly open-access virtual workshops and faculty-led panels to prepare early-stage researchers for engineering and computer science faculty careers.
• The Future Faculty in the Physical Sciences (FFPS) Fellowship at Princeton University seeks to attract a diverse cohort of early career scientists who will conduct physics research, broadly defined, including astrophysics, biophysics, geophysics, and planetary physics. The Fellowship aims to increase excellence at Princeton by bringing scholars with unique backgrounds and insights whose work will contribute to promoting groups that have been historically and are presently underrepresented in physics and related fields.
 
 
https://dof.princeton.edu/diversity-inclusion/talent-pathway-programs
 
https://mmuf-ebcao.princeton.edu/
 
https://engineering.princeton.edu/graduate-studies/academic-pathways/prospective-faculty

Optional Fields 

Does the institution produce a publicly accessible inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution offer housing options to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students?:
Yes

Website URL where information about the institution’s support for underrepresented groups is available:
https://inclusive.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1831/files/documents/DEI_Annual%20Report_2022-2023.pdf

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

https://dof.princeton.edu/faculty-diversity-and-inclusion
https://inclusive.princeton.edu/initiatives/key-initiatives/college-access-success
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/recruitment-and-outreach
https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/current-students
https://engineering.princeton.edu/graduate-studies/academic-pathways/prospective-faculty
https://engineering.princeton.edu/graduate-studies/academic-pathways/prospective-graduate-students


The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.