In Short

U.S. District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury *06, the first Muslim woman and first Bangladeshi American to serve as a federal judge, will deliver the Baccalaureate address to the Class of 2024 in May. Choudhury, who serves in the Eastern District of New York, previously worked at the American Civil Liberties Union for more than a decade. She received her master’s in public affairs from the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA).

Princeton has banned the use, storage, and charging of electric scooters, hoverboards, and other personal electric vehicles (PEVs) on the core of campus effective Jan. 25, according to a University announcement. In August, the University banned PEVs on campus during peak hours, but a study showed that usage remained “nearly the same” in October 2023 compared to data collected in February 2023, according to the announcement. The new policy does not apply to those with mobility-related disabilities. 

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce announced in mid-November it has launched an investigation into Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who has been a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist with the SPIA Program on Science and Global Security since 2016 and was formerly a high-ranking diplomat in Iran. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) spearheaded a letter sent to President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 that included a list of questions about Mousavian and his ties to Iran.

In emails to PAW, Mousavian provided detailed responses to the committee’s letter and denied that he has acted on behalf of Iran while at Princeton, saying that his academic work has been devoted to “peace, security, stability, and opposing wars and warmongering.” The University declined to comment.

Read more: U.S. House Committee Investigating SPIA Specialist’s Iranian Ties

Daren Hubbard joined Princeton as chief information officer and vice president for information technology in January, taking over from Jay Dominick, who retired in December 2023 after more than a decade in the role. Hubbard comes to the University from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Joyce Rechtschaffen ’75, Princeton’s assistant vice president for government affairs, is retiring in March 2024, according to the University, after 18 years in the Washington, D.C.-based role. Previously, she was a staff member in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades and a senior attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. Julie Groeninger, Princeton’s director of government affairs, will succeed Rechtschaffen.