Princeton continues an active examination of the intersections between its history and the ways in which iconography, portraiture and named spaces across campus impact our community.

Land Acknowledgements

The University provides guidance for colleagues and students seeking to craft a land acknowledgement text for their unit or group in a respectful, appropriate manner. 

History and Sense of Place Initiative

The History and Sense of Place Initiative chronicles the University's efforts to expand the narrative of Princeton's history and foster an inclusive sense of place on campus through: 

• A historical timeline of significant events on campus
• Information on the transformation of public spaces
• Detailing of portraits commissioned by the University to recognize significant contributions made by members of our community

The Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity coordinates Princeton’s History and Sense of Place Initiative. The initiative is managed in partnership with the CPUC Committee on Naming, based on principles developed by the Ad Hoc Committee on Principles to Govern Renaming and Changes to Campus Iconography and the Report of the Trustee Committee on Woodrow Wilson’s Legacy at Princeton.

Walking Princeton's (In)Visible History

“(In)Visible Princeton” is a series of themed historical walking tours of Princeton University’s campus. Tours are web-based and mobile friendly, and are accessible both on campus and off, making them available to the widest possible audience. Most tours consist of 10 to 15 stops, each of which includes interpretive text and supplemental media, such as images, audio, and video, to help explain the significance of each event, location, or person.  Tours include “Women at Princeton,” “African-American Life at Princeton,” “Stories of Asians and Asian Americans at Princeton,” and “Princeton Firsts.”

Tour Priceton’s (In)Visible History

Wilson Legacy Review Committee

In 2015, the Board of Trustees appointed a special committee to consider Woodrow Wilson's legacy at Princeton, and, more specifically, whether changes should be made in how the University recognizes Wilson's legacy.The board adopted the committee's report and recommendations, one of which was to create a marker showcasing the positive and negative elements of Wilson’s legacy. The installation, unveiled in October 2019, now stands on Scudder Plaza. Additional background information about Woodrow Wilson can be found through an exhibit created at Princeton in 2016: “In the Nation’s Service? Woodrow Wilson Revisited”