Princeton University is an economic engine for central New Jersey as one of the largest private employers, a major purchaser of goods and services, and the largest taxpayer in the Municipality of Princeton. The University plays a significant role in the educational, cultural, and economic life of the region and provides direct and indirect support to local non-profit and governmental organizations.
The University values its longstanding, mutually beneficial relationships with nearby communities and the opportunities that emerge to connect campus and community. Together the University and its neighbors continue a vibrant tradition of cooperation through on- and off-campus learning opportunities, joint transportation and infrastructure projects, community service, and initiatives in entrepreneurship, the arts and other areas.
Community Connections
Community Connections(pdf) is delivered by mail to homes in Princeton each fall and spring. The publication features articles on university programs and events that are open to the community, contributions to the local community and more.
Princeton in Princeton
The Princeton community and Princeton University share more than just a name. The town and the campus intersect in many ways, each contributing to the other. Princeton in Princeton(pdf) highlights the numerous ways Princeton University seeks to support its’ host community.
Princeton University launched Tigers in Town during the COVID-19 pandemic to support struggling local businesses while providing a safe way for students to socialize. The program will continue and expand through the fall 2021 semester. Pictured, students partake of businesses along Witherspoon Street. Photo by Denise Applewhite, Office of Communications
Report to the Community
Each year President Eisgruber attends a public meeting of the Mayor and Council of Princeton to discuss ways that the University and the community may continue to collaborate on areas of mutual interest. In advance of that meeting , a summary of contributions to and partnerships with the town is compiled.
Princeton University Concerts held its “Breathe in Music” series outdoors in 2021, inviting the community to experience live performances by the next generation of classical music stars while following a meditation led by Matthew Weiner, associate dean in the Office of Religious Life. The series is among the many ways in which Princeton University contributes to the Municipality of Princeton and surrounding communities. Photo by Nick Donnoli Productions LLC
Economic Impact Report
In 2016 Princeton University engaged the services of Appleseed, an independent New York based consulting firm with extensive experience in economic and community impact analysis, to prepare a report on the economic impact of Princeton University on its neighboring communities (pdf), Mercer County and the state of New Jersey.
Recent Contributions
Princeton University Concerts (“PUC”) opened its 2024-25 Season, the series offered unique opportunities for refugee families, low-income community members from the Princeton and Trenton areas, Princeton University students and professors, and neurodiverse audiences to engage with live music.
Since the season began on Thursday, September…
Princeton University professor John Hopfield has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics(Link is external) “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.”
He shares the prize with…
Ruha Benjamin, the Alexander Stewart 1886 Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, has been awarded a 2024 MacArthur Fellowship(Link is external) for “illuminating how technology reflects and reproduces social inequality and championing the role of imagination…
For the eighth year, Princeton University employees donated backpacks to the Princeton Human Services School Supplies Drive through a program coordinated by the Office of Community and Regional Affairs in partnership with W.B. Mason.
Staff from the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company who are working
on campus construction projects…
With the help of a dedicated group of departmental volunteers from across campus and at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the campus community raised $98,432.38 during the 2023 United Way Campaign. Proceeds support the United Way of Greater Mercer County’s education, financial stability, food insecurity and health programs.
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Princeton University faculty and staff helped community members entering or re-entering the workforce through the annual business attire clothing drive.
Each spring semester the Office of Community and Regional Affairs offers faculty and staff the opportunity to donate gently used business attire at several collection sites on campus…
President Christopher L. Eisgruber and Princeton municipal officials reaffirmed shared interests — from college access and socioeconomic diversity to sustainability and mass transit — during their annual meeting on Monday, Feb. 26.
“The town is such an important partner to us,” Eisgruber said during the meeting with Princeton Mayor…
The University announced Jan. 30 its plan to contribute more than $50 million over five years to the Municipality of Princeton, community organizations and lower- and middle-income residents to support mutual community interests including college access, sustainability and resiliency, socioeconomic diversity and equity, safety and emergency…
Princeton has released its third annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report, which shares the important work of students, faculty, staff and alumni to build community and support success and belonging at the University. The report…
At the end of each year, the Office of Community and Regional Affairs provides faculty, staff and students the opportunity to give back to the local community through the Holiday Outreach Initiative.
The initiative's main program is a food and toiletries drive made up of more than 30 collection sites both on campus and in town.
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Princeton Public Library will use a generous gift from Princeton University to extend through 2026 a pilot program eliminating extended-use fees for children’s materials, Executive Director Jennifer Podolsky has announced .
The $50,000 gift from Princeton University will allow the library to continue to waive these fees, also…