Last December, Princeton announced a set of programs designed to help people affected by Sept. 11 and to support New York City's renewal and recovery.
At the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, those initiatives have resulted in the awarding of 10 scholarships at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, grants for Princeton faculty and students to study issues related to the events of Sept. 11, a program this fall at Blairstown for the families of victims and a project that has exposed more than 10,000 youngsters to the arts. The University committed a total of $1 million to the programs.
John Jay scholarships: Princeton founded a scholarship program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City to honor the memory of the more than 100 public service heroes of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center who received academic training at the college. Ten students were selected during the summer as the first recipients of the Justice Scholarship.
Support for expertise and research: A second program was set up to provide funds to support faculty and staff who can contribute special expertise to New York's renewal, rebuilding and recovery, and to support graduate and undergraduate research related to the attacks.
Two faculty members Erik VanMarcke, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Guy Nordenson, associate professor of architecture have received funds to undertake a study of design concepts and parameters affecting the resistance of tall structures to extreme conditions such as wind storms, earthquakes, fires and accidental or terrorist blasts. Laura Kurgan, assistant professor of architecture, received a contribution from the University last winter to help fund the production of a memorial map for the area around Ground Zero.
Arts Alive: More than 10,000 youngsters from schools affected by the attacks attended Broadway shows such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Aida" and "The Lion King," took in performances by the American Ballet Theatre and Blue Man Group, and visited museums that included the Rose Center Planetarium, The Museum for African Art and The American Museum of the Moving Image as part of the Arts Alive program.
In all, students from 82 schools in every borough of New York City took part in nearly 200 live arts and cultural experiences last spring, along with Princeton students who volunteered to join the youngsters.
Enough funds remain from the University's $1 million commitment to permit continuation of the Arts Alive program during the upcoming fall semester. This year's program will involve students from schools in New Jersey as well as New York City, and New Jersey performing arts venues such as the Newark Museum, Liberty Science Center and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center are likely to be included. Student volunteering will continue to be coordinated by the class of 2004, which will make a strong effort to involve members of the freshman class.
Princeton-Blairstown Center
The University is sponsoring a program at the Princeton-Blairstown Center this fall for families directly affected by the Sept. 11 attacks. The program, to be held Sept. 12 and 13, will work with family members on coping techniques and family communication skills as well as offering grief and trauma counseling.
More details about these programs are available on the University's September 11 site.
Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601
