Key Takeaways
- • Michael Novogratz (Class of 1987) and Sukey Cáceres Novogratz (Class of 1989) endowed Princeton University's Bridge Year program with a $4 million gift, establishing it as a permanent fixture of the university's undergraduate curriculum.
- • The endowment expands annual program participation from 35 to 42 students, enabling the program to serve more incoming undergraduates in tuition-free international service learning.
- • Bridge Year is a nine-month, tuition-free program allowing select incoming freshmen to defer enrollment and engage in community service at one of five international locations: Bolivia, China, India, Indonesia, and Senegal.
- • The program, operational since 2009, is now formally renamed the Novogratz Bridge Year Program in recognition of the donors' sustained philanthropic support since its inception.
- • Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber characterized the gift as enabling "generations of Princetonians to embark on a path of global citizenship," positioning service and international experience as core institutional values.
Summary
Michael Novogratz and Sukey Cáceres Novogratz have committed $4 million to endow Princeton University's Bridge Year program, transforming it into a permanently funded educational initiative. The gift reflects the couple's sustained commitment to the program, which they have supported since its launch in 2009. In recognition of their contribution, the program has been formally renamed the Novogratz Bridge Year Program.
The endowment enables meaningful program expansion, increasing annual student participation from 35 to 42 participants. Bridge Year operates as a tuition-free program that allows a select cohort of incoming undergraduates to spend their first two semesters abroad before beginning standard on-campus coursework. Participants engage in nine months of University-sponsored community service at one of five established international locations: Bolivia, China, India, Indonesia, and Senegal. Princeton partners with local organizations at each site to ensure program quality and student safety.
According to Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber, the program has demonstrated sustained educational impact since 2009, orienting participants "to the wider world, heightened their commitment to service, prepared them for leadership, and inspired personal transformation." Michael Novogratz emphasized the program's value proposition for student development, noting that participants return with "a real sense of purpose, and an interest in being of service to their communities, and to the world." The endowment secures the program's long-term viability and allows the university to expand access to this experience for future cohorts of incoming students.
The endowment enables meaningful program expansion, increasing annual student participation from 35 to 42 participants. Bridge Year operates as a tuition-free program that allows a select cohort of incoming undergraduates to spend their first two semesters abroad before beginning standard on-campus coursework. Participants engage in nine months of University-sponsored community service at one of five established international locations: Bolivia, China, India, Indonesia, and Senegal. Princeton partners with local organizations at each site to ensure program quality and student safety.
According to Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber, the program has demonstrated sustained educational impact since 2009, orienting participants "to the wider world, heightened their commitment to service, prepared them for leadership, and inspired personal transformation." Michael Novogratz emphasized the program's value proposition for student development, noting that participants return with "a real sense of purpose, and an interest in being of service to their communities, and to the world." The endowment secures the program's long-term viability and allows the university to expand access to this experience for future cohorts of incoming students.
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