Coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the Graduate School, “Many Minds, Many Stripes: A Princeton University Conference for Graduate Alumni” is taking place on campus Oct. 9-11. More than 1,100 alumni and guests have registered to attend.

“We are excited to honor our graduate alumni 12 years after the first ‘Many Minds’ conference, especially since there is so much to celebrate,” said Jennifer Caputo, deputy vice president for Alumni Engagement. 

In addition to the conference coinciding with the 125th anniversary of the Graduate School, 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni. “This University conference will highlight the legacy of both while looking forward to new ways for our graduate alumni community to engage,” she said.

Co-chaired by University Trustee Yan Huo *94 and former trustees Ann Kirschner *78 and Laurence Morse *80, and led by a steering committee of 13 other volunteers, “Many Minds, Many Stripes” will include updates from Graduate School leadership; opportunities to hear from faculty and alumni on topics that reflect the institution’s academic excellence, interdisciplinary approach and the diverse career trajectories of alumni; academic department gatherings; networking; and social activities. 

Rodney Priestley, dean of the Graduate School and the Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, sees the “Many Minds” conference as the right time for alumni to reengage with Princeton and the Graduate School, reunite with their community of scholars, and celebrate the transformational impact of a Princeton graduate education.

“With our new graduate student residences and research facilities, new doctoral programs, and commitments to student support, inclusive excellence, mentorship and professional development, Princeton is a place for unparalleled scholarship where graduate students can thrive,” Priestley said. “We also see the conference as an opportunity to express our pride and appreciation for graduate alumni and the legacy they’ve created.” 

In the Graduate School’s 125-year history since its founding in 1900, more than 37,000 Princeton students have earned graduate degrees, including 18 alumni who received Nobel Prizes—most recently 2025 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Mary Brunkow, a 1991 molecular biology Ph.D. recipient. 

“Throughout its history, the Graduate School has produced successive cohorts of leaders who, through their scholarship and career endeavors, have sought to be of service and to make an impact by grappling with some of the world’s most intractable social, economic, political and environmental challenges,” Morse said. “This gathering will provide graduate alumni an extraordinary opportunity to return to Old Nassau to celebrate being a part of this rich legacy.” 

“This milestone offers a unique opportunity to reflect on our distinguished history, but this conference is more than a retrospective,” Kirschner said. “Our engagement as graduate alumni helps ensure that Princeton’s Graduate School remains a global leader in academic excellence, preparing the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators to address the complex challenges of our time.” 

This story first ran Nov. 4, 2024, as a preview announcing the event and has been updated as the conference begins.