Christopher L. Eisgruber

Christopher L. Eisgruber is an American legal scholar and academic administrator who has served as the 20th president of Princeton University since 2013. A constitutional law expert, he succeeded Shirley M. Tilghman after a distinguished career as a professor and administrator at the university. His tenure has been marked by significant initiatives in expanding access through financial aid, promoting campus diversity, and navigating complex issues of free speech and institutional values.

Early life and education

Born in Indianapolis, he attended North Central High School before enrolling at Princeton University. He graduated summa cum laude in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics, having also been elected to Phi Beta Kappa. As a Rhodes Scholar, he then earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from Oxford University's Corpus Christi College. He completed his formal education at the University of Chicago Law School, receiving a Juris Doctor with high honors in 1988, where he served as topics and comments editor for the University of Chicago Law Review.

Academic career

After law school, he clerked for Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then for Justice John Paul Stevens of the Supreme Court of the United States. He began his academic career as a professor at the New York University School of Law before joining the Princeton University faculty in 2001. At Princeton, he served as the director of the Program in Law and Public Affairs and later as the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values. His administrative roles expanded when he was appointed provost of the university in 2004, a position he held for nine years.

Presidency of Princeton University

Appointed president in 2013, his leadership has focused on enhancing the university's commitment to undergraduate education and scholarly research. Key initiatives have included the expansion of the groundbreaking no-loan financial aid policy, which replaced loans with grants for most students, and the establishment of programs to increase socioeconomic diversity. He has overseen major construction projects, including the new Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Science complex, and has been a vocal advocate for the DACA program and undocumented students. His presidency has also involved steering the institution through debates on historical legacy, such as the decision to remove Woodrow Wilson's name from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Publications and scholarly work

His scholarship centers on constitutional law, religious freedom, and the role of the judiciary. His notable books include The Next Justice: Repairing the Supreme Court Appointments Process and Religious Freedom and the Constitution. His articles have been published in leading journals such as the Harvard Law Review, the Stanford Law Review, and the University of Chicago Law Review. His work frequently engages with the philosophies of legal theorists like John Rawls and examines practical challenges in American constitutional democracy.

Awards and honors

Throughout his career, he has received numerous distinctions, beginning with his selection as a Rhodes Scholar. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He has been awarded honorary degrees from institutions including Dartmouth College, the University of Edinburgh, and Tel Aviv University. In 2022, he received the Alexander Meiklejohn Award from the American Association of University Professors for his contributions to academic freedom.

Category:Princeton University alumni Category:American university and college presidents Category:American legal scholars Category:Rhodes Scholars