He was on his way to a traditional distinguished scholarly career as a promising young assistant professor at Princeton with a joint appointment in mathematics and philosophy when he decided instead to accept the challenge of developing a new mathematics department at a college which he had barely heard of and which was certainly not known as a centre of excellence in mathematics.
Siya sa kanyang mga paraan sa isang tradisyunal na litaw-aral karera bilang isang batang-asa assistant professor sa Princeton sa isang pinagsamang appointment sa matematika at pilosopiya kapag siya ay nagpasya sa halip na tanggapin ang mga hamon ng pagbuo ng isang bagong matematika departamento sa isang kolehiyo na niya narinig ng bahagya at kung saan ay tiyak na hindi kilala bilang isang sentro ng kahusayan sa matematika.