His initial appointment to Princeton in 1905 was as a preceptor, a new position which Woodrow Wilson, the president of Princeton, introduced in an attempt to raise the level of scholarship at the university.
Kanyang unang appointment sa Princeton sa 1905 ay bilang isang preceptor, isang bagong posisyon na kung saan Woodrow Wilson, ang president ng Princeton, ipinakilala sa pagtatangkang itaas ang antas ng karunungan at ang unibersidad.