He also discussed Princeton’s leadership in national conversations on college affordability and the essential role of charitable higher education endowments, and he expressed the University’s continued commitments to free speech, to attracting talented people from all sectors of society, and to Princeton’s tradition of institutional restraint.

In the letter, Eisgruber called on Princetonians to work together to “celebrate fresh beginnings and remarkable achievements, rise to meet difficult challenges, and energetically pursue this University’s mission of teaching, research, and service in the year ahead.”

He reiterated what he has said previously regarding free speech and institutional restraint. “There are many reasons why universities and their presidents should exercise restraint when speaking publicly,” Eisgruber said. “As I told our entering undergraduate students this fall, it is not the university president’s job to tell students, faculty members, or staff what to think about the issues of the day. On the contrary, my job is to ensure that people on this campus have the freedom to say what they think, and to encourage them to engage with, and learn from, one another.”