Overview
- President Christopher Eisgruber cut the long‑term return assumption to 8.0% from 10.2%, a change he said could reduce projected revenue by more than $11 billion over the next decade.
- Leaders will shift from expansion to efficiency and substitution, with targeted consolidations, slower building plans, and potential program reductions to protect core priorities.
- After last year’s 5–7% across‑the‑board cuts, the next round will be more selective and in some cases deeper under Provost Jen Rexford and Executive Vice President Katie Callow‑Wright.
- Princeton’s $36.4 billion endowment provides roughly 65% of operating revenue, yet recent performance has lagged peers, with a three‑year annualized return near 4.3% reported by Bloomberg.
- Eisgruber cited heightened policy pressures, including an endowment tax rising to 8% on net gains, and warned that unchecked spending could force rapid cuts and large‑scale layoffs.