and Vivian Shapiro have presented a gift to the University that endows an annual award for outstanding academic achievement on the part of first- and second-year students.
The President's Award for Academic Achievement will be renamed the Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence.
"Vivian and I admire greatly -- and have been inspired by -- the remarkable academic achievements of so many Princeton students," said President Shapiro. "We are pleased to be able to recognize and support them through this award program."
The award, established in 1998, is intended to honor and encourage serious and successful engagement in intellectual pursuits. Students are chosen during the summer for work the previous year based on careful review of their academic records, taking into account the range, depth, and difficulty of their academic programs. Selections are made on the recommendation of directors of studies and small committees of faculty members associated with each residential college, as well as endorsed by the deans in the Office of the Dean of the College.
"This award symbolizes the high value we attach to academic excellence -- not simply high achievement, as important as that is, but a deep and genuine engagement in learning, an eagerness to stretch and challenge oneself to get the most out of undergraduate education at Princeton. In a community that cares so much about the intellectual enterprise, no award could be more meaningful," said Nancy Weiss Malkiel, dean of the college.
The students are honored during the fall at a celebratory banquet hosted by the president, with residential college masters, directors of studies and deans in attendance. They are presented with a book written by a Princeton faculty member featuring a special bookplate to commemorate the award. Last fall, 37 members of the class of 2002 and 37 members of the class of 2003 were honored.
Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-3601
