University contributions to Princeton town: 2019 summary

Summary of the many ways in which Princeton University currently contributes to and engages with the Princeton community. Submitted in a memo to the Princeton mayor and council on Feb. 24, 2020.

Contributions to Princeton: Overview

Voluntary Contributions to Princeton Municipality

For decades, Princeton University has made voluntary contributions to the Municipality of Princeton. The most recent agreement, adopted in 2014, covers a seven-year period and provides that the University will make annual, unrestricted cash contributions totaling nearly $22 million. Under the terms of this agreement, in 2019 the University’s voluntary contribution to the municipality was $3.35 million. In the 2014 agreement the University also agreed to make cash contributions of $1.9 million to be used for specific agreed-upon purposes, and to donate land on Franklin Avenue valued at approximately $1 million.

Voluntary Tax Payments for Properties that Could Be Exempt

The University is the largest property taxpayer in the municipality, paying $9.3 million in taxes in 2019 (not including sewer payments). The $9.3 million includes about $6 million in voluntary tax payments for properties that are eligible for exemption from property taxes. For decades, the University has followed a practice of leaving many properties that are eligible for exemption, including graduate student housing, faculty housing, campus roads, and some athletic facilities, on the municipal tax rolls, and voluntarily paying taxes on these properties.

Police, Fire and Emergency Services

The University provides significant support for police, fire and emergency services in the community. The University Department of Public Safety (DPS) has a staff of 118 including sworn officers, non-sworn security officers, fire marshals supervisory, dispatch and administrative staff. DPS operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, and works in close collaboration with the municipal police department. In 2019, the Princeton Police Department needed to respond to campus only two times. University officers were called upon 10 times last year to provide support for the Princeton Police Department.

The University has supported the Princeton Fire Department with annual financial contributions and major capital gifts as well as by allowing its employees to serve as volunteers with the department during their paid work hours. Currently 30 University employees volunteer as associate members of the Princeton Fire Department providing critical daytime support to the paid and volunteer members of the department. Six more employees are currently enrolled in the Firefighter 1 training program. In 2019, University employees spent more than 1,300 hours responding to calls and attending training during their University work hours.

Over many years the University has supported the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad (PFARS) through annual contributions, and in-kind services such as housing and telecommunications support.

The University collaborates regularly with the municipality and Mercer County to support emergency communications systems, including allowing cell equipment to be installed on its buildings, reducing the need for monopoles in town. In 2019, University staff provided over 150 hours of support, at no cost, to assist with the design, configuration and installation of the new multi-site municipal police communications system.

Contributions to Important Community Organizations/Initiatives

Apart from its contributions to the municipality, Princeton University remains committed to supporting initiatives that enrich the quality of life in Princeton. Over the years, the University has made cash and in-kind contributions to an array of local projects and non-profit organizations. Also, the University makes substantial in-kind and financial contributions to the Princeton Public Schools (this is in addition to voluntarily paying taxes on exemption-eligible graduate student and faculty housing so that the school district receives tax revenue from University properties that could add students to the public schools).

The University has a long history of support for affordable housing. Most recently, the University created 56 units of affordable housing in the reconstruction of Merwick Stanworth, nine units of affordable housing on Leigh Avenue, and contributed $50,000 toward the Habitat for Humanity project on Lytle Street.

Private Roads and Shuttle System Maintained by the University and Used by the Public

The University owns approximately five miles of private roads in the Municipality of Princeton, such as Faculty Road and College Road, which are ordinarily open to the public. In addition to paying taxes on these roads, the University maintains them at its own cost, including providing snow removal. The University also operates the Tiger Transit bus system which is free and open to the public. It provides more than 500,000 passenger rides per year. Additionally, the Princeton Bike Share program features 17 bike stations with 100 bikes located both on campus and in the community.

Education and Outreach

As an educational institution, Princeton University runs numerous programs that welcome community members or are aimed primarily at residents of the area. Students at local high schools, including Princeton High School, can take coursework at the University; many different University initiatives provide tutoring to public school students; and the University runs a preparatory program for economically disadvantaged students in the area. Almost half of the participants in the Community Auditing Program are Princeton residents, participating in University classes for a modest fee, and thousands more attend hundreds of free public lectures offered each year at the University. The Cotsen Children’s Library is open to the public at no cost.

The University Art Museum, Richardson Auditorium and McCarter Theater, and the Lewis Center for the Arts provide a wide variety of arts programming. In addition, the University Chapel, the Department of Music and various concert series offer musical performances year- round. The University owns the Garden Theater, which is operated by the non-profit Renew Theaters.

Athletic events are another opportunity for community members to connect with the University – of the 245 Princeton athletic events last year, 190 were free to members of the public. Campus athletic facilities are regularly used by the community’s youth sports programs and non-profit recreation programs in the area.

Volunteer Activity and Civic Engagement

Princeton’s mission of teaching and research has an emphasis on service, and students volunteer with more than a dozen local community organizations. Some of this activity begins before they even take their first class at Princeton, through Community Action. The University has a long history of working with the Special Olympics, Big Brothers Big Sisters and numerous other organizations that seek to meet the needs of local residents and create a fully inclusive and supportive community.

Contributions to Princeton Municipality in Detail

Voluntary Payments (calendar year basis)

• In 2019, Princeton University made a voluntary payment of $3.35 million to the Municipality of Princeton.
  • Since 2014, the University has contributed more than $18.24 million to the municipality per the seven-year contribution agreement. The annual voluntary contribution escalates by 4% annually.
• The seven-year 2014 contribution agreement includes the following pledges to major community initiatives:
  • $500,000 toward construction of a new Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad facility on municipal land (contribution completed)
  • $500,000 toward the purchase of fire-fighting apparatus (contribution completed)
  • Donation of the University-owned Franklin Street Lot for municipal use (contribution completed)
  • $90,000 toward a new FreeB vehicle (contribution completed)
  • $250,000 toward the expansion of the Witherspoon Fire Station (in addition to $300,000 already committed to this project under a prior agreement)
  • $250,000 toward the construction of a new storage facility for municipal Department of Public Works equipment

Taxes Paid (calendar year basis)

• In 2019, Princeton University paid $9.3 million in property taxes to Princeton (not including sewer payments); Princeton University is the largest taxpayer in Princeton
• Of the $9.3 million property tax payment to Princeton, $4.5 million went to the Princeton Public Schools
• Of the $9.3 million property tax payment, about $6 million was paid on property that is eligible for exemption under state law

The town’s AAA bond rating is partially based on the “stabilizing presence of Princeton University”

• In rating the municipality, Moody’s cites “the stabilizing presence of Princeton University” and notes that “Princeton University (7,912 students) contributes to the municipality’s strong local economy.” Its AAA rating reduces the town’s borrowing costs below the costs of many other municipalities

Contributions to important community organizations/initiatives

• Princeton Public Schools School Planning Initiative: community engagement support
• Restoration of the “All Wars Memorial”
• Arts Council of Princeton Mural Project
• Witherspoon Jackson Historic and Cultural Society Heritage Tour plaque installation
• Habitat for Humanity for construction for a duplex on Lytle Street
• Princeton Community Housing’s 50th Anniversary capital campaign
• Princeton Public Library, construction and endowment
• Princeton Public Schools, including renovation of the high school auditorium/library
• Princeton Education Foundation
• Arts Council of Princeton building renovation/expansion
• Arts Council of Princeton ‘Parklet’ project
• Princeton Recreation Department Skate Park
• Princeton Recreation Department “Splash and Dash”
• Battle Monument renewal and lighting project
• Construction of new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro
• Hinds Plaza
• Princeton Community Pool reconstruction
• Technology for the new JW Middle School Media Center
• Princeton Charter School
• Founding sponsor of Send Hunger Packing
• Brainfuse program at Princeton Public Library
• Princeton Symphony Orchestra BRAVO concerts
• Sustainable Princeton Energy Smart Homes Campaign
• Sustainable Princeton Sustainable Living Guide
• Watershed Institute
• Spirit of Princeton
• Corner House Summer Youth Outreach Programming
• Morven Museum and Garden Endowment Campaign
• Garden State on Your Plate program in Princeton Public Schools
• YWCA Princeton
• PrincetonFamilyYMCA
• United Way of Greater Mercer County
• Princeton Human Services Commission Annual Backpack Drive
• Princeton Arts Council Martin Luther King Day programs
• Cornerstone Community Kitchen
• Princeton Nursery School

Community Resources

• Garden Theater
  • The theater, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020, is owned by the University and operated by a separate non-profit organization, Renew Theaters
  • The University upgraded at a cost of approximately $400,000 sound systems and installation of digital projection system
• Labyrinth Books
  • The University helped to bring in, and maintain, an independent bookstore in Princeton
• Nassau East
  • The University owns and manages properties around 185 Nassau Street which house a variety of local businesses
• Princeton Station
  • The University maintains the Princeton Station complex that is served by the NJTransit Princeton to Princeton Junction “Dinky” rail line
• The Garden Theater, Labyrinth Books, Princeton Station and the commercial and residential properties at Nassau East are all tax-paying properties
• Until transfer of ownership to the municipality in December 2017 the University provided off-site parking, at no cost to the municipality, on the University-owned Franklin Avenue lot for municipal employees and Community Park Pool staff
  • Franklin Avenue lot was also provided as a location for the Princeton Public Library contractors to park during their second floor renovation project
• The University provided, at no cost, temporary storage for Princeton Public Library collections during the Library’s second floor renovation project
  • Through coordination of Princeton Public Library staff and Firestone Library staff, books in storage were still made available to library patrons upon request
• The University provides space for local non-profit organizations’ fundraising events. Recent organizations hosted on campus include Princeton Public Library, Fund 101, Princeton Education Foundation, Princeton Nursery School, Mercer County Community College Jim and Fannie Floyd Scholarship Fund, Arts Council of Princeton, Watershed Institute, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Princeton Adult School, Princeton Unity Walk, Princeton Child Development Institute, and Princeton Senior Resource Center
• The University hosts the annual Corner House summer leadership program on campus

Affordable Housing

• Provided $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity to support construction of new affordable housing on Lytle Street.
• Nine units of publicly available affordable housing were constructed on Leigh Avenue.
• Fifty-six units of publicly available affordable housing were constructed as part of the Merwick Stanworth complex.
• Contract with Princeton Community Housing for management of affordable units at Merwick Stanworth and on Leigh Avenue.
• Made contributions to Princeton Community Housing for Elm Court, Shirley Court and Harriett Bryan House.
• Donation of land for Karin Court; location of 16 units of affordable housing available to the public through the Princeton Housing Authority.
• Provided funding to help create affordable housing at Griggs Farm.

Police

• The Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Princeton Police Department (PPD) command staff meet monthly. These meetings are opportunities to review issues and plan for upcoming town and/or University events.
• Throughout the year PPD and DPS assist each other in criminal investigations, noncriminal cases, and/or service requests such as assistance in locating missing individuals, traffic control, traffic accidents, serving subpoenas, use of Spanish- speaking DPS officer for interview purposes, transportation from PPD to campus for students. In 2019 DPS received and responded to 10 such service requests from PPD. During 2019 DPS only requested PPD assistance twice.
• DPS filed 29 police co-operation reports with PPD. This type of report is filed when there is an interaction of any kind between PPD and Public Safety that is not investigated by DPS or does not result from a call into DPS jurisdiction.
• PPD is invited to participate, at no charge, in in-service training held on campus and sponsored by DPS.
  • In April 2019, PPD officers were invited to attend DPS’s diversity and inclusion training titled” Disrupting Everyday Bias” conducted by Cook Ross Inc.
  • In August 2019, DPS hosted two Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) courses at 701 Carnegie Center. The courses were titled: “Sport Event Risk Management” and “Sport Venue Evacuation and Protective Actions.” These trainings were offered to all local police, fire, and emergency management officials, as well as our campus partners in Athletics.
• In October 2019, DPS collaborated with PPD and the Greater Mercer Transportation Management Association to raise awareness of pedestrian safety during the Street Smart campaign.
• Upon request, DPS provides mutual aid to PPD for staffing large community events (i.e. Princeton Half Marathon and Communiversity arts fest, etc.).
• In January 2019, DPS provided assistance to PPD to staff a protest in Palmer Square.

Emergency Services

• University staff participate in Princeton’s Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC)
  • Princeton Fire Department (PFD)
    • PFD Associate Member Program: University staff serve as Princeton Fire Department (PFD) volunteers during weekday work hours for which they are paid by the University
    • The program currently has 30 employees with 6 additional employees currently completing the Firefighter 1 training
    • Associate Member Program Response and Training Totals for 2019 (during University work hours)
      • Fire calls – 206 with total response time of more than 600 hours
      • Training – 17 training events totaling more than 700 hours
  • DPS leadership has regular meetings with PFD leadership to discuss collaboration, operations, response and emergency management.
  • Engine 66 from the Princeton University’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) responds regularly to the Municipality of Princeton for fire calls as mutual aid to the PFD.
  • PFD was dispatched to campus 23 times in 2019
  • In October 2019 the University’s Fire Marshal and Associate Fire Marshal, with the Portable Fire Extinguisher trainer unit and the Kitchen Fire Safety prop, participated at the PFD Open House.
  • In January 2019, the University hosted the Fire Department Awards Dinner on campus
  • The Fire Department had recruitment displays at the Student Activities Fair in September and at the Yale Football game in November.
  • Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad (PFARS)
    • DPS leadership has regular meetings with PFARS leadership to discuss collaboration, operations, response and emergency management.
    • University students continue to be active volunteer members at PFARS as student members regularly recognized by PFARS as “top” responder volunteers.
    • The University provides parking on campus, with accessible power, for a PFARS ambulance to facilitate response by student volunteers
    • The University hires PFARS as the primary EMS provider for stand-by requests at University events located within the Municipality of Princeton; the University reimburses the squad for this service
  • Communication Systems
    • Mercer County’s countywide public safety communications systems continue to be supported at Fine Hall
    • Equipment and antenna support for PPD, PFARS and PFD is located at Fine Hall on the University campus.
    • DPS donated over 150 hours of technical support in assisting with the design, configuration, and installation of a new multi-site police communications system. This included review and revision of vendor proposals (which resulted in significant cost savings to the town), recommendations for FCC license changes, coordination with external vendors for replacement of existing leased copper communications circuits with fiber optics, project management of the selected vendor work, programming of officer radio equipment, design of a new primary transmission site in a secured environmentally controlled facility, and acceptance testing of the finished solution. This has provided the municipality with a significantly improved police communications system that provides secure encrypted communications capability as well as expands the coverage of the system.
    • PPD was provided with three encrypted talk groups on the University radio system for use in tactical/special-operations throughout Princeton (on- and off-campus). Additionally, PPD has access to the encrypted DPS radio communications system for interoperability with all their cars and portable radios
    • The University maintains two base radios for fire department alerting response and operations on the Mercer County Public Safety Communications System at 306 Alexander Street where a PFD vehicle is housed for response by PFD Associate Program members
    • The University provides programming services for the pagers used by the PFD Associate Program members
    • University technical resources continue to support PPD on an as-requested basis with radio communications related questions or issues around operations or new equipment

Cell Towers

• There are 8 wireless cell towers on University buildings
  • This reduces visual impact of/need for monopoles in town and improves service to the community
  • In 2018 several of these towers were upgraded to provide state of the art cellular technology in the community and on campus
  • In 2019 the University partnered with a carrier to install new small cell antennas in strategic campus locations that are part of a network being installed in town

Maintenance of approximately five miles of roads in Princeton used by the public

• Annual cost to the university is approximately $480,000

Collaboration on local and regional planning issues

• In 2017 provided $250,000 to Mercer County to support planning for the replacement of the Alexander Street bridge over the Stony Brook and adjacent culvert bridge
• In 2016 Princeton University provided nearly $60,000 to fund the Nassau Street Streetscape project
• Contributed land to make possible the construction of additional left hand turn lane at Harrison Street/Route One
• Provided half of the funding for the Alexander Street/University Place Traffic and Transportation Task Force
• Contributed $500,000 to the community’s Transportation Trust Fund.
  • Projects funded to-date include Princeton Community Bike Map, Enhanced Bus Shelters, Transit Opportunities Study, “Go Princeton” integrated mode choice communications plan

Transportation

• Tiger Transit is “free and open to the public” and provides more than 500,000 passenger rides each year.
• The University established and continues to maintain a stop at Palmer Square on the Tiger Transit Forrestal/PPPL line to provide community access to the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro after NJ Transit 655 service was discontinued in September 2015.
  • Between January and December 2019 more than 3,851 passengers used the Tiger Transit Forrestal-PPPL line stop at Palmer Square for access to/from Princeton Station or Princeton Hospital.
• The Princeton Bike Share program had moderate growth as both a first-and-last mile transportation option and an alternative transportation option for the community.
  • As of December 2019, there were 4,496 active program members and an average of 704 weekly rides since March 2016 (116,205 total rides).
  • The program has 17 stations and 100 bikes across campus and the Princeton community as of September 2019.
• University staff participated with GMTMA in Car Free Day in Princeton in September.
• University staff participated with GMTMA in Bike to Work day in Princeton in May. o University staff continue to participate in all Princeton efforts surrounding parking, transportation, RYR, alternate transportation and streetscape.

Resource Recovery Program (formerly known as Surplus Equipment Program)

• Access provided for area non-profit organizations to the University Resource Recovery Program. Items provided free of charge to area non-profits for their organizational use.

Education Outreach

• Princeton High School (PHS) students who have exhausted coursework at the high school can take classes at the University; coordinated by PHS guidance department. o Tutoring for Princeton Public Schools students through Community House Programs; including the Graduate Molecular Biology Outreach Program “Science on Thursdays”
• Princeton University Art Museum Home School Week
  economically disadvantaged students, is open to Princeton High School students o Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM) holds special events open to the community including a Holiday Science Lecture, Material Science Nano Days and Stars of Material Science Lecture
  Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) hosts Science on Saturday lectures in the winter months, the New Jersey Regional Science Bowl and the Young Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program for middle and high school students.
• Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), a college prep program for
• Graduate Molecular Biology Outreach program on and off-campus events for children and adults
• Princeton Open Labs Science Café - Graduate students give “Ted-like” talks to high school students about their scientific research.
• Cotsen Children’s Library and Program for Teacher Preparation “Time Travel 101” programs available to local elementary schools for children up to age 12
• Many lectures and other intellectual and cultural offerings on campus are open to the public and almost always free of charge
• Access to Firestone Library is available for a fee
• Firestone exhibits and Cotsen Children’s Library are available at no charge

Community Auditing Program

• 44% of the roughly 700 program participants each semester are from Princeton
• The program includes special courses and lectures designed especially for auditors

Employment

• In 2019 two Careers @ Princeton Workshops were held in coordination with the Princeton Public Library.
  • 13 participants attended the workshop in January and 25 participants attended the workshop in July.
• Princeton University Library and Office of Community Affairs sponsor a summer employment program for youth from Princeton and Trenton; inaugural year in 2019 hosted 3 students on campus

Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking

• The University’s Entrepreneurial Hub (eHub) is located at 34 Chambers Street. The space provides a location for the exchange of ideas; a place where creative and talented entrepreneurs from the University and the community can come together to learn from one another, establish connections, and make contributions to the local and regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• The Keller Center hosted 9 single day events and one 12-part workshop series (nearly 1000 attendees) open to the public on topics related to entrepreneurship, design and innovation.
• The Keller Center’s Tiger Challenge Climate Change Vulnerabilities team is working with the City of Trenton and Sustainable Princeton to understand the effects of climate change on the people of Trenton, in order to propose innovative ways for the municipality to leverage greater risk assessment to inform policy and emergency preparedness.
• The Joseph Henry Group in Keller Center’s Community Project Studios presented a table at Communiversity focused on youth education and outreach.
• The Joseph Henry group also ran an event at the Princeton Public Library for Inventors' Day (honoring Thomas Edison's Birthday in February 2019) - the Joseph Henry group will be doing it again this coming February.

Cultural Offerings on Campus

• Princeton University Art Museum
  • Free and open to the public
  • Provides a wide variety of free educational and family programming, including Art for Families workshop programs and a summer outdoor movie series
• Theaters
  • McCarter and Berlind theaters are owned and financially supported by the University and operated by a separate, independent non-profit
  • Theater Intime provides academic year programming open to area residents in Hamilton Murray Theater
  • Princeton Summer Theater series in Hamilton Murray Theater open to area residents
  • Additional theater, dance and visual arts programming available at other locations on campus, including 185 Nassau Street
• Musical Performance
  • Performances at Richardson Auditorium and Taplin Auditorium
  • Summer Carillon Concerts at the Graduate College
• Chapel
  • Weekly “After Noon” organ concerts
  • Special performances sponsored by the Chapel Music program
  • Veterans Day Observance Program
  • Monthly Jazz Vespers services
• Princeton University Concerts
  • Hosts annual music series featuring classical music performed by professional musicians in Richardson Auditorium and across campus in traditional and non-traditional concert formats. Also presents a family concert series and special events
  • "Beyond the Music" programming includes the internationally-acclaimed free Live Music Meditations, a free annual Chamber Jam inviting amateur musicians in the community to jam with the professionals on the series, and partnerships with the Princeton Garden Theatre and Princeton Public Library including film screenings and talks with the musicians
  • Eight season subscriptions to the “Concert Classics” series provided annually at no charge to the Princeton Senior Resource Center

Community Events on Campus

• Communiversity (on campus and in town)
• Princeton Adult School holds spring and fall lecture series on campus
• University hosts the annual Community Works Program
• Community invited free of charge to Reunions fireworks
• Community and Staff Day (fall football game); free tickets offered to local residents
• Princeton Campus Farmers’ Market in spring (five weeks, prior to opening of market on Hinds Plaza)
• Princeton Public Schools’ John Witherspoon Middle School graduation hosted in Richardson Auditorium
• Princeton High School Winter Concert hosted in Princeton University Chapel o Two Municipality of Princeton election polling districts hosted on campus
• Princeton Symphony Orchestra BRAVO concert in Richardson Auditorium

Worship

• Community members participate in Chapel services on a regular basis and special occasions
• Community members also participate in services by religious groups associated with the University through chaplaincy programs and the Center for Jewish Life
• Special religious services take place in Richardson Auditorium

Athletics

• Tickets to athletic events on campus are free or low-cost
  • In the past year, there were 245 regular season home games, of which 190 were free and required no tickets.
• In cooperation with Princeton Recreation Department, the University hosts the Dillon Basketball League Saturday morning youth basketball program which has been held on campus with participation by Princeton students as coaches for 49 years with nearly 300 youth participants from the community each year.
  • Clinics for Dillon League participants hosted by Princeton University Men’s and Women’s Varsity Basketball Teams
• Carnegie Lake open to the public for recreational ice skating in collaboration with Princeton Recreation Department
• Provide scholarships to Princeton youth to attend Princeton University Summer Sports Camps in collaboration with Corner House; 6 participants in summer 2020
• Campus athletic facilities used by Princeton High School Hockey (boys and girls) and Track, Princeton High School Boy’s Lacrosse, Princeton Youth Hockey Association, Carnegie Lake Rowing Association, Princeton Masters Swimming, Princeton Recreation Department Squash, Princeton Junior Squash, Princeton Wrestling Club, Tigerz Fencing, Cub Club Tennis, Princeton Futbol Club, Princeton Field Hockey Club, and Princeton Girl’s Lacrosse Club.
• Princeton student-athletes undertake numerous volunteer efforts through the Princeton Varsity Club and as teams:
  • Collectively, Princeton student-athletes volunteered over 4,000 hours during calendar year 2019
  • Student athletes participate in the Community and Staff Day youth sports clinic, National Girls and Women in Sports Day youth clinic, and the spring garden clean-up projects at Harriet Bryan House and Princeton elementary schools (Riverside, Community Park, Littlebrook, and John Witherspoon)
  • Reading with the Tigers Program with all four Princeton elementary schools (Community Park, Littlebrook, Johnson Park and Riverside) and Princeton Charter School
  • Additional volunteer efforts with Princeton-based organizations including: Princeton YMCA, Princeton Public Schools (elementary, middle, and high schools), Princeton Youth Hockey and U-NOW Nursery School

Campus Dining

• Campus Dining supports the Garden State on Your Plate Program in the Princeton School District. Chefs visited all four elementary schools to hold interactive learning sessions.
• Campus Dining continued its food donation program with Bentley Community Services to divert prepared food to food insecure families in the greater Princeton area.
• Campus Dining donated approximately boxed lunches, milk, apples, and pears from Class Day to the Princeton Cornerstone Community Kitchen, housed in the Princeton United Methodist Church.
• During the Princeton Senior Resource Center’s Health Fair on October 8, Campus Dining distributed healthy snacks to approximately 200 seniors.
• Campus Dining participates in the farmers’ market in Firestone Plaza, offering the Princeton community tastings together with health, wellness, and sustainability education.

Service and Civic Engagement

• Students, faculty and staff volunteer their time and talents throughout the academic year, summers and during the University’s annual Month of Service in January, with many non-profit organizations focused on the Princeton community including:
  • Arm in Arm, Corner House, Cornerstone Community Kitchen, Dillon Youth Basketball League, HomeFront, Princeton Fire Department, Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, Princeton Healthcare System, Princeton Regional Schools (elementary, middle school, high school), Princeton Nursery School, Princeton Senior Resource Center, Princeton YMCA, SAVE Animal Shelter, YWCA Princeton
• Faculty and staff donated 183 backpacks filled with school supplies as part of the annual Princeton Human Services annual Backpack Drive
• Through the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) faculty members and students link service and academic learning, by providing in-depth research and studies for, or engaging in services with, community organizations as part of a Princeton course. ProCES was formerly known as the Community-Based Leaning Initiative (CBLI).
  • In the past year ProCES courses included work with the Princeton Nursery School, the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Arts Council of Princeton, Arm in Arm, the Princeton Senior Resource Center, the Princeton Blairstown Center, Einstein’s Alley, Cornerstone Community Kitchen at Princeton United Methodist Church, the Historical Society of Princeton, Princeton Community Housing, Send Hunger Packing, Housing Initiatives of Princeton (HIP), Petey Greene, and Princeton Young Achievers.
  • The program also provides summer research interns to local organizations, including the Princeton Nursery School, McCarter Theatre, the Historical Society of Princeton, and Sustainable Princeton.
• The Community Service Interclub Council (CSICC), a collaborative initiative of the eating clubs, coordinates volunteer activities undertaken by the clubs with numerous local organizations; in 2019 the eating clubs worked in partnership to present “TruckFest”, an event that raised funds to support Send Hunger Packing and Meals on Wheels
• The Pace Center for Civic Engagement undertakes a wide variety of programming in the local community including:
  • The Breakout Princeton program coordinates local direct service opportunities during fall, intercession and spring breaks. Dubbed Breakout Local, this programming worked with a total of 10 of community organizations in Princeton, being Princeton Nursery School, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical Society, Community House, Send Hunger Packing Princeton, Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Princeton Period Project, Princeton Arts Council, and Princeton Young Achievers
    • 56 university graduate and undergraduate students participated in Breakout Local programming in 2019. Students also participated in preparation and reflection activities to support their service in the local community.
• First-year students’ small group orientation (through Community Action) to service and learning with the local community. Below is a list of the 2019 Community Action local community organizations with whom the first-year students engaged in service tasks:
  • The CA group focused on law and politics met with Mayor Lempert and Councilman Dwaine Williamson as part of their CA experience.
  • Send Hunger Packing Princeton – preparation for upcoming fundraiser
  • Cornerstone Community Kitchen - set-up and distribute meals
  • Farminary – harvesting, composting, weeding
  • Farmers Against Hunger – harvesting, composting, weeding
  • Princeton Nursery School –organizing materials in storage space, painting classrooms and planting spring bulbs outside
  • Brandywine Assisted Living – hosted activities for senior residents
• Community House After School Academy (middle school); Community House After School Enrichment, Gen1 and SAT Prep (high school) provide weekly after school programming focused on academic support and social- emotional literacy
• Black Organization for Leadership Development (BOLD), leadership development and college prep (high school)
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Mercer County matches Princeton University volunteers with a little sibling from the Princeton Community (elementary and middle school)
• Community House Big Sibs matches Princeton University students with a little sib (youth in grades 2-5) and they participate in twice monthly group mentoring sessions that focus on literacy and social-emotional development for 4 years. (elementary school)
• Community House Nursery School Project partners with Princeton Nursery School to send volunteers on a weekly basis to work with nursery school youth (nursery school). (This is also a Breakout Local project.)
• Crossings Community House project: Effective dialogue and conflict resolution through small group sessions (middle and high school)
• Health education through HIPS (Health Education in Princeton Schools) (elementary school)
• PEEK (Princeton Engineering Education for Kids) (elementary & middle school)
• Community House Princeton hosts family programming throughout the year such as family dinners and parent workshops that support social-emotional wellness and academic success (youth and their families)
• Community House hosted its inaugural Youth Leadership Summit in fall 2019. This full day of dynamic on-campus programming provided high school-aged students with the opportunity to enhance their leadership, academic, and social-emotional literacy skills
• Community House college tours for high school aged yout
• Community House Generation Speak, building meaningful relationships (youth residents living in facilities of Princeton Community Housing)
• Community House HIPS: Health Education In Princeton Schools sends volunteers into Littlebrook Elementary school to run interactive Health information sessions.
• Community House Academic Success Today matches volunteers with students from the Princeton District for academic tutoring and mentorship through Corner House.
• SVC Best Buddies hosts monthly on campus events (typically Friday evenings) at which community members with intellectual disabilities and Princeton students participate in activities like dance workshops, craft making and baking, and attending Princeton athletic events. Princeton students can also opt to pair in a one-on-one friendship with a community member “buddy”
• SVC CONTACT Princeton provides student volunteers who answer phone calls for a local crisis hotline and the national suicide hotline.
• SVC Creative Minds pairs student volunteers in a one-on-one relationship with elderly residents at the Merwick Care and Rehabilitation Center. Volunteers and residents bond while working on creative year-long projects that explore the resident's interests and engage different forms of media (including books, movies, and soundtracks).
• SVC Meals on Wheels has volunteers deliver hot and cold meals to seniors in the area. Volunteers also visit seniors once a week for one hour to chat and do activities with the seniors such as knitting, coloring, or anything that both the student and the senior are interested in doing.
• SVC Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center student volunteers commit to one weekly three-hour shift in one of the units such as the emergency room, pediatrics or neurology. Volunteers primarily work in roles that involve interacting with patients and helping the nursing staff. Duties may include: checking in with patients, translating for patients, transporting patients in wheelchairs, greeting families and visitors, organizing and stripping charts, delivering medications and lab samples, restocking rooms, answering phone calls, and more.
• SVC Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad provides students who volunteer as Emergency Medical Technicians working with other squad volunteers or paid staff to respond to 911 emergency medical calls in the community.
• SVC Princeton Music Outreach brings together student musicians with local nursing homes, assisted living homes, and hospice communities. The musicians perform in on-site concerts during various holidays.
• SVC Special Olympics (Skating, Swimming, Rowing) help make these sports accessible and fun for athletes of all abilities. Volunteers work one-on-one with the athletes to build basic skills to more advanced maneuvers.
• SVC Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program (KDSAP) provides free kidney health screenings and health education, supervised by a nephrologist at Princeton Hypertension-Nephrology Associates.
• SVC TigerTAILS works with a local no-kill animal shelter, SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals. Student volunteers help the shelter maintain a clean and comfortable environment for the animals with the goal of attracting potential owners and placing each and every animal into a loving home.
• Civic participation by students volunteering their time and/or perspectives with local organizations include:
  • Princeton Student Fire Fighters recruits and connects volunteers to train and be part of the Princeton Volunteer Fire Department
  • Princeton’s Civil Rights Commission
  • American Red Cross Blood Drive on campus twice a year.