In 1771, future president
James Madison began graduate work at Princeton University under the tutelage of President
John Witherspoon, another
Founding Father. Often considered Princeton's "first graduate student," Madison studied
Hebrew and
Political Philosophy, which provided him the foundation for his later career as the delegate to the
Congress of the Confederation from
Virginia,
Secretary of State, and
President of the United States. After his studies, students were then permitted to stay at the university after receiving their
bachelor's degrees. By 1869, graduate education was standardized through the establishment of general examinations and graduate fellowships. Princeton conferred the first graduate degrees to James F. Williamson and William Libby in 1879. The first dean of the graduate school was
Andrew Fleming West. He envisioned a graduate institution that would both produce high quality graduate work from a small number of students. By the 1880s, eight graduate students were enrolled in programs in
art and
archaeology,
astronomy,
biology,
classics,
geology,
mathematics,
philosophy, and
physics. Enrollment gradually increased over the years, particularly under the leadership of physicist
Augustus Trowbridge. Applications for graduate enrollment also rose after
World War II and after federal funding for graduate fellowships increased substantially, most notably in the sciences. Women began to enroll in the Graduate School in the 1960s. The first PhD was awarded in 1964. In 1977, Nina G. Garsoian accepted a position as the ninth dean of the graduate school, the first woman to occupy that position.
The Graduate College The
Graduate College, the residence of the dean of the graduate school and home to many graduate students, was established in 1913. Inspired by the design of
Magdalen Tower at
Oxford University, the architecture of the Graduate College features brown and gray Princeton stone and green and blue roofs. Built in 1913 and expanded in 1927, the Old Graduate College features traditional
Gothic-style architecture in addition to the 173-foot tall
Cleveland Tower, a memorial to former university trustee and President of the United States
Grover Cleveland. The central quadrangle of the Graduate College, Thomson College, is a memorial to
United States Senator John R. Thomson. New Graduate College was built adjacent to the Old Graduate College in 1962, presenting modern-style architecture and comfortable living spaces.
High table The tradition of "
High Table" traces back to
Oxford University and
Cambridge University. Fellows of the college were to sit at the end of long
refectory tables on raised platforms,
dais, above the undergraduates. At Princeton, the tradition began in 1913 in Procter Hall with Professor
Howard Crosby Butler. Students, faculty, and guests were invited to sit with the dean of the graduate college at a monthly ceremony. Until the 1970s, dinner at Procter Hall opened with Latin grace spoken by a student, the
Master (Professor), or the dean. High Table continues to bring select students and faculty together for discussions and, during formal events, dinners jackets or academic gowns may also be worn. ==Academics==