Heather Seagroatt, executive director of Gift Planning, welcomed members and friends and thanked them for their generosity to the University through their planned gifts. She also recognized the members of the Planned Giving Advisory Council and the Gift Planning class chairs who were in attendance and thanked them for their service. Seagroatt then introduced Rexford, who shared information on new research initiatives and answered questions from the audience.

Appointed as provost in 2023, Rexford ensures the continued vitality of Princeton’s academic mission and its long-term financial security. She joined the Department of Computer Science as a full professor in 2005 and was named chair in 2015. Her research focuses on computer networking with the larger goal of making the internet worthy of the public’s trust. 

Rexford shared that in her tenure thus far as provost, she has visited with alumni all over the world, most recently in Tokyo, Japan, and Nairobi, Kenya, and has been struck by “how much connection people have to this place and how much an ethos of service is part of their connection to Princeton.” 

She also highlighted several University initiatives, particularly in the health sciences area, that are exemplars of faculty research that has an impact in the world beyond the campus. These include the Weill Cancer Hub East, a collaboration with The Rockefeller University, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research; Princeton Precision Health, an interdisciplinary center with an AI-driven approach to researching health and disease, collaborating with the Gates Foundation and the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute; and the NJ AI Hub, a collaboration with Microsoft, CoreWeave and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

“Those are just three examples of a really big focus for us right now on partnership, on leaning out to be able to have influence on society,” Rexford said. “They’re especially important because all three of these initiatives are providing not only collaboration opportunities and outlets for our ideas to reach practice, but they’re also providing alternative funding venues for our faculty beyond the usual emphasis on federal research funding.” 

Rexford answered questions from the audience, including about University budget cutbacks, the climate on campus for international students, student mental health initiatives and the impact of political events on charitable giving. She also provided information on how alumni can stand up for Princeton and higher education and receive a newsletter with action items.   

Rexford’s talk was preceded by a performance by the Katzenjammers, who delighted attendees by singing Princeton’s “The Orange and the Black,” as well as classics including “Misty” and “Route 66.” 

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