Princeton University

For other Princetons, see Princeton. Most of them are named after the University.

Residential Colleges

The undergraduate residential colleges are the residential-dining complexes that house freshmen, sophomores, and a handful of junior and senior resident advisers. Each college consists of a set of dormitories, a dining hall (e.g., Ricardo A. Mestres Hall), a variety of other amenities (study spaces, libraries, performance spaces, darkrooms, and the like), and a collection of administrators and associated faculty.

Related Topics:
Residential colleges - Resident advisers

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Princeton presently has five undergraduate residential colleges. Rockefeller College and Mathey College are located in the northwest corner of the campus; their Collegiate Gothic architecture often graces University brochures. Wilson College and Butler College, located south of the center of the campus, are more recent additions, built specifically to become residential colleges. Forbes College, located slightly southwest of the southwest corner of the campus, is a former hotel, purchased by the university and expanded to form a residential college. Princeton broke ground for a sixth college, named Whitman College after its principal sponsor, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, in late 2003. The new dormitories will be constructed in the neo-Gothic architectural style and has been designed by renowned architect Demetri Porphyrios.

Related Topics:
Rockefeller College - Mathey College - Collegiate Gothic - Wilson College - Butler College - Forbes College - EBay - CEO - Meg Whitman - Neo-Gothic - Architect - Demetri Porphyrios

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A variant on the present college system was originally proposed by University President Woodrow Wilson in the early twentieth century. Wilson's model was much closer to Yale's present system, which features four-year colleges. Lacking the support of the Trustees, the plan languished until 1968, when Wilson College was established, capping a series of alternatives to the eating clubs. A series of often fierce debates raged before the present underclass-college system emerged. A further addition to the system is slated for the completion date of Whitman College. At the same time that 500 new students will be added to the Princeton undergraduate student body under the Wythes Plan, two of the six residential colleges will be expanded to accommodate upperclassmen—representing the realization of Wilson's plan a century after he proposed it.

Related Topics:
Woodrow Wilson - Yale - Eating clubs

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Princeton has one graduate residential college, known simply as the Graduate College, located beyond Forbes College at the outskirts of campus. The far-flung location of the G.C. was the spoil of a squabble between Woodrow Wilson and then-Graduate School Dean Andrew Fleming West, which the latter won. (Wilson preferred a central location for the College; West wanted the graduate students as far as possible from the noisy, dissolute undergraduates.) The G.C. is composed of a large Collegiate Gothic section, crowned by Cleveland Tower, a local landmark that also houses a world-class carillon. The attached New Graduate College houses more students. Its design departs from collegiate gothic, and is reminiscent of Butler College, the newest of the five pre-Whitman undergraduate colleges.

Related Topics:
Graduate College - Andrew Fleming West - Collegiate Gothic

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However, these residential colleges are much more than just residential-dining facilities. Each residential college promotes and creates a bond between students within the same residential college by hosting social events and activities, guest speakers (such as Edward Norton, who showed a special sneak-preview of Fight Club on campus), and trips. Residential Colleges are best known for their performing art trips to New York City. Students are eager to sign up to take trips to see the ballet (e.g. The Nutcracker), the opera (e.g. Cavalleria Rustica, Madama Butterfly, and La Boheme), and Broadway (e.g. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Wicked (musical), Avenue Q, Spamalot, and The Lion King.)

Related Topics:
Edward Norton - Fight Club - New York City - The Nutcracker - Cavalleria Rustica - Madama Butterfly - La Boheme - Broadway - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Wicked (musical) - Avenue Q - Spamalot - The Lion King

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