Princeton Expands Family-Friendly Benefits for Graduate Students with Children

Princeton University has expanded a package of family-friendly benefits for graduate students that is designed to encourage more women to pursue careers in higher education. Joan S. Girgus, special assistant on diversity to the dean of the faculty, states that the university tried to think more comprehensively about what was needed. In an effort to provide a continuum of support for graduate students who are new parents, the university will offer three months of paid leave from research and teaching to new birth mothers. Doctoral students who become parents, including those who adopt, may also apply for need-based childcare grants, subsidized back-up care, and care-related travel funds. In addition, they can participate in a new mortgage program intended to lower the cost of buying a home, and they will be eligible for free counseling on how best to navigate work-life collisions and take advantage of the benefits the university offers. Both female and male graduate students say they have benefited from the policy, which has "raised awareness of the issues" all across the campus.