Princeton Univeristy will examine Woodrow Wilson's legacy and determine if there should be changes to how the university recognizes his name on campus.
PRINCETON - Princeton University's board of trustees has agreed to form a committee to comprehensively examine President Woodrow Wilson's legacy and determine if there should be changes to how the university recognizes his name on campus, University President Christopher L. Eisgruber said Sunday.
Eisgruber's comments - in an email to students, faculty and alumni - are his his first since student protestors occupied his office last week demanding changes on campus, chief among them their believe that Wilson's name should be removed from campus due to his racist views.
Wilson was Princeton's president from 1902 to 1910.
The protest and occupation of Nassau Hall, led by the student organization the Black Justice League, ended late Thursday when Eisgruber and the league signed an agreement over their demands.
Eisgruber's statement said he asked the board to consider the Wilson name issue - one of the most sensitive and controversial - and the board agreed.
"As every Princetonian knows, Wilson left a lasting imprint on this university and this campus, and while much of his record had a very positive impact on the shaping of modern Princeton, his record on race is disturbing," Eisgruber wrote.
The president said the committee's review of Wilson's legacy will cull information from "a wide array of perspectives and constituencies," he wrote.
They will also seek input from people who are experts in Wilson's history and from Princeton University alumni, faculty, students and staff.
The board will also solicit letters from experts familiar with Wilson, and it will make those letters public.
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2015/11/after_protests_students_still_have_work_to_do_to_s.html
The board will also meet at the university next semester to listen to thoughts from the university community.
Only after they've given all community members a chance to speak will the board make a decision regarding whether to make any changes to aspects of the university bearing Wilson's name, the email said.
"When I spoke to the students who occupied Nassau Hall, I insisted that we would consider carefully the issues that troubled them, but that we would do so through appropriate university processes - processes that allow for full and fair input from the entire university community," he said.
Eisgruber's email said Princeton has been discussing racial injustice for more than a year, like other colleges in the country, and two task forces, one initiated by him and one by his predecessor, have already made changes.
"These discussions emerged from and reflect disturbing national events, but they have often focused on the racial climate and the sense of inclusion at Princeton.
"Although these conversations have often been difficult and uncomfortable, I have learned a great deal from them. I have heard compelling testimony from students of color about the distress, pain, and frustration that is caused by a campus climate that they too often find unwelcoming or uncaring," the email said.
Eisgruber said Princeton has come a long way since the presidency of Bob Goheen - who led the university from 1957 to 1972 and made major racial diversity changes.
"But we have not come far enough, and making further progress will require hard work and good will," Eisgruber wrote.
"I care deeply about what our students are saying to us, and I am determined to do whatever I can, in collaboration with others, to improve the climate on this campus so that all students are respected, valued, and supported as members of a vibrant and diverse learning community," the president's statement said.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.