Equal parts lecture and discussion, the new series features a robust lineup of leading faculty and staff covering subjects ranging from birds and sustainability to Princeton’s campus expansion. “TigerSide Chats is part of our strategy to increase our alumni education options,” said Bridget St. Clair, director of Alumni Education and Travel on the Alumni Engagement team within University Advancement. “With offerings like Princeton Journeys and the Speaker’s Bureau, our programs are heavily focused on in-person experiences. TigerSide Chats is our way of reaching alumni virtually and giving them continued learning opportunities.”

Speakers were selected based on direct input from alumni. “We really wanted to give alumni a broad roster of speakers from various fields,” St. Clair said. “We looked at what areas alumni were already asking about through our existing speaker programs and curated the TigerSide Chats lineup accordingly.”

The idea for TigerChats stemmed from a series of live lectures billed as “virtual Princeton Journeys” produced during the COVID pandemic. “With people stuck at home, those lectures were very popular,” St. Clair said. “When we returned to in-person programming, we continued to hear from alumni asking for more virtual learning.”

Arvind Narayanan, director of the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy and professor of computer science, kicked off the series on Sept. 30 with a lively talk about the uses and misuses of artificial intelligence (AI). Narayanan wrote about the hype surrounding AI in his new book, “AI Snake Oil,” which he co-authored with graduate student Sayash Kapoor. Rishi Jaitly ’04, professor and distinguished humanities fellow at Virginia Tech and Open AI senior advisor, moderated the chat, which attracted an audience of more than 315 alumni from 12 countries and 24 states.

The success of the inaugural event didn’t surprise St. Clair. “Princetonians love to learn, and they’re eager to do so long after they leave Princeton,” she said. “TigerSide Chats is our way of democratizing that access and giving everyone the chance to hear from some of our most in-demand speakers.”

While the live sessions take place monthly during the academic year, recordings will be made available on the TigerSide Chats website for those unable to attend in real-time. “We recognize that not everyone can log in at a specific time, so we’ll post the videos after the events.,” St. Clair said.

The next TigerSide Chat will take place on Nov. 13. James Steward, the Nancy A. Nasher-David J. Haemisegger, Class of 1976, Director of the Princeton University Art Museum will present “Previewing the New Princeton University Art Museum,” a guide through the construction, buildout and curation of Princeton’s new 150,000 square-foot museum facility, scheduled to open in 2025.

See the lineup of speakers and learn more on the TigerSide Chats webpage.