Blog

Remarks on the Flushing Remonstrance (December, 1657)
April 9, 2025

As delivered at the New York Public Library.

Thank you for that introduction.  I am honored by it, and by the opportunity to say a few words today about the extraordinary document that is the subject of this exhibition.

I am grateful to the New York Public Library, the New York State Archives, Barbaralee Diamonstein…

“The Structure of Academic Freedom”: Robert Post Lecture Introduction
Feb. 21, 2025

As written

It is a pleasure to say a few remarks to introduce an outstanding scholar and longtime friend, Professor Robert Post of the Yale Law School.  Professor Post is among the nation’s most insightful constitutional theorists and one of its leading experts on both free speech and academic freedom.  His talk this…

Remarks at the Jewish Center on Yom Kippur: Antisemitism and Free Speech on Campus
Oct. 12, 2024

I am honored by the invitation to speak with you on this, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar.

If I may, I would like to start on a personal note and tell you a bit about my family history.

My great-grandfather, Salomon Kalisch, was a lawyer in Breslau, Germany, and a prominent member of the Reform community in that city.

Remarks at the Whig-Clio Senate Debate
Sept. 19, 2024

Mr. President, officers and members of the society, friends, and guests:

It is an honor and a pleasure to address you as the American Whig-Cliosophic Society convenes for another year in its long and illustrious history.

This is the second consecutive year that I have spoken to your Society.  Last year, I was able to stay for…

Opening Exercises 2024: "Something Transcendent"
Sept. 1, 2024

As delivered

Please let me begin by saying, again, what a pleasure it is to welcome you to Princeton! I am delighted to greet all of you who gather here today as you begin your Princeton journeys.

The vibrant weeks at the beginning of each new academic year invigorate all of us, and they are especially memorable for…

Academic Freedom and Free Expression Orientation Session
Aug. 27, 2024

Let me begin by extending a warm and personal welcome to all of Princeton’s new transfer students and everyone in Princeton’s Great Class of 2028!  I am so happy that you are here, and I look forward to getting to know you in the days, weeks, and years ahead.

I will greet all of you more formally a few days from now at Opening…

Commencement 2024: Leaning Into Life, at Princeton and Beyond
May 28, 2024

As delivered

In a few minutes, all of you will depart this stadium as newly minted graduates of this University.  Before you do, however, it is Princeton’s longstanding tradition for the University president to offer a few remarks about the path that lies ahead of you.

I regard that annual opportunity as both a…

Remarks at the Whig-Clio Senate Debate
Oct. 5, 2023

Mr. President, officers and members of the society, friends, and guests:

It is an honor and a pleasure to address you as you convene for another year in the illustrious history of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, the oldest college literary and debating club in the United States.

As Donald Gilpin beautifully documents…

Remarks at the Conference on Academic Freedom: Normative, Legal, and Empirical Perspectives
Oct. 2, 2023

Thank you for the opportunity to address this conference.  It is a pleasure to do so, for at least two reasons.  First, I am delighted to see and greet so many friends, including some from Princeton’s own faculty and some whom I have not seen in many years.  Second, the topic of this conference is urgent indeed, and I am…

Remarks at the White House Meeting on Expanding Educational Opportunity and Diversity in Higher Education
Sept. 28, 2023

It’s an honor to be part of this important discussion. I thank the administration for pulling together proven strategies that will help all of us in higher education preserve and grow diversity while complying with a more restrictive legal environment.

I’d like to focus my brief remarks on how Princeton has made significant progress…