2008 Volunteer Leadership Assembly

Approximately 400 alumni volunteer leaders returned to campus October 23-25, 2008, for a Volunteer Leadership Assembly hosted by Alumni Association President Dave Siegfried ’64, National Annual Giving Chair Raj Vinnakota ’93, and Aspire Campaign Executive Committee Co-Chairs Bob Murley ’72 and Nancy Peretsman ’76. During the three-day program, attendees engaged in a variety of workshops, meetings and briefings designed to help them in their volunteer work, facilitate networking with other volunteers, and learn more about current and future priorities for the University, the Alumni Association and the Aspire campaign.

In addition to workshops conducted for the volunteers, the conference included many exciting lectures and panel discussions.

NOTE: Some of the following talks are audio recordings in MP3 format. Due to their size, these files may take a moment to download.

• A Conversation with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Princeton Provost Christopher L. Eisgruber '83 
  Justice Ginsburg provides an inside look at the human side of the U.S. Supreme Court, giving the audience a peek at the personal interactions of the justices and how they maintain friendships despite disagreeing on issues.

• America's Edge: A Global Country in a Global Century [MP3]
  Opening lecture by Anne-Marie Slaughter '80 (Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs; Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs).

• A Conversation with President Shirley M. Tilghman [MP3]
  President Tilghman discusses the challenges faced by the University in the present economy and the University's appreciation of the alumni community's support, enthusiasm and creativity.

• An Insider's View of Princeton [MP3]
  A discussion with university administrators:
  
  • Christopher L. Eisgruber '80 (Provost; Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Public Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School and the University Center for Human Values)
  • Ronald J. McCoy *80 (University Architect)
  • Janet L. Rapelye (Dean of Admission)
  • William B. Russell (Dean of the Graduate School; Arthur W. Marks '19 Professor of Chemical Engineering)

• The Modern University and the Role of Volunteers [PDF]
  Keynote address by Neil Rudenstine '56  (former Trustee; Provost of the University, Emeritus; former Dean of the College and Dean of Students; Professor of English, Emeritus).

• The Value of Athletics [MP3]
  A discussion with Bill Bradley '65 (1965 Sullivan Award winner; former New York Knick; former U.S. senator from New Jersey) and Dick Kazmaier '52 (1951 Heisman Trophy winner; member, College Football Hall of Fame), moderated by Gary Walters, Director of Athletics.

• Fall Football Lecture Series, McCain or Obama: What to Expect from the First 100 Days in Office [Video]
  Moderator Keith Whittington (William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics) leads a discussion with: 
  • Thomas Christensen (Professor of Politics and Public and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School)
  • Melissa Harris-Lacewell (Associate Professor of Politics and the Center for African American Studies)
  • Russ Nieli *79 (Lecturer in Politics) 
  • R. Sean Wilentz (Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor in the American Revolutionary Era; Professor of History)

Photographs by Sameer Khan