It’s exciting to think that the Class of 2030 will be welcomed by a third new residential building thanks to an extraordinary gift from Mellody Hobson ’91.

In an “effort to change the narrative,”— as Hobson, the co-CEO of Ariel Investments, describes it— the new Hobson College will be the first residential college at Princeton named for a Black woman and will be built on the site of First College, formerly known as Wilson College.

The gift marks an important next chapter in addressing the legacy of Woodrow Wilson on campus and expanding opportunity at the University and beyond.

Hobson puts it best:

“My hope is that my name will remind future generations of students — especially those who are Black and brown and the ‘firsts’ in their families — that they too belong. Renaming Wilson College is my very personal way of letting them know that our past does not have to be our future.”

Keep reading below for more on Hobson’s forward-thinking commitment to the University.

Stay safe and healthy.

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