"Being the best and remaining the best means constantly assessing what we do and finding ways we can be better,'" Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman told the crowd. "Please join us in imagining and realizing the very bright future of Princeton."

The dinner highlighted three days of events marking the launch of the campaign. In addition to a keynote address by Tilghman, the event included remarks by Campaign Co-chairs Robert S. Murley of the class of 1972 and Nancy B. Peretsman of the class of 1976 and Annual Giving Chair Rajiv Vinnakota of the class of 1993.

Anthony Grafton, the Henry Putnam University Professor of History, also spoke, commenting on the great strides Princeton has made in the 30 years he has been at the University.

"Thanks to three inspired presidents—Bill Bowen, Harold Shapiro and Shirley Tilghman—and to the extraordinary support of trustees and alumni, we now strive for excellence in every field of the arts and sciences," he said. "Thanks to the gradual expansion of the student body and of financial aid, moreover, Princeton attracts more wonderful students than ever. It's constantly exciting to play a small part in this big enterprise—to work at a place where [faculty members] David Spergel and Bonnie Bassler, Katherine Newman and Simon Gikandi, and their amazing students, keep transforming everything we thought we knew. But to remain a great center of discovery, we have to keep moving into new fields; and to do that, at the highest level, we turn to you for help."