News & Stories

All News Research Newsmakers SPIA Reacts Community Profiles
Israel-Iran
News June 18, 2025
Princeton SPIA Experts Provide Insight on Escalating Israel-Iran Conflict
PRINCETON, NJ - As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, faculty at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (Princeton SPIA) are offering timely, expert commentary to help the public and policymakers make sense of the rapidly evolving situation. Drawing on deep expertise in Middle East politics, international security, and nuclear nonproliferation, Princeton SPIA scholars provide essential context on what is at stake for the region and the world. Below are selected quotes offering analysis and perspective on the unfolding crisis.Salam Fayyad, Visiting Senior Scholar and Daniella Lipper Coules '95 Distinguished Visitor in…
Hennessy Scholars
News June 16, 2025
Two Princeton SPIA Alumni Named Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Two alumni from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) — Nick Wu ’19 and Josh Heupel MPA ’25 — have been named Knight-Hennessy Scholars. Scholars receive up to three years of funding toward a graduate degree at Stanford University.Wu and Heupel join other Princeton University recipients, including Class of 2025 members Gil Joseph and Sabrina Nicacio, Class of 2021 member Jimin Kang, and Class of 2019 member Mikaela Gerwin. They will join a cohort of 84 scholars from around the world. The fellowship program develops “emerging leaders who have a commitment to the greater good and the tools needed to drive meaningful change,”…
Student Volunteers
News June 13, 2025
Celebrating Nowruz: Welcoming Spring and the New Year
On April 30, after several rainy days, the Afghanistan Policy Lab (APL) hosted its annual Nowruz cultural event outside Robertson Hall, bringing together faculty, staff, and students from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). The celebration welcomed spring and symbolized renewed energy for the year ahead.The program opened with welcome remarks from Ambassador Adela Raz, director of the Afghanistan Policy Lab, and Amaney Jamal, dean of the School. Dean Amaney Jamal (middle) and Amb. Adela Raz …
Noreen Goldman
News June 10, 2025
Discrimination May Impede Cardiovascular Health
Princeton SPIA’s Research Record series highlights the vast scholarly achievements of our faculty members, whose expertise extends beyond the classroom and into everyday life.If you’d like your work considered for future editions of Research Record, click here and select “research project.”
SPIAction Newsletter
News June 09, 2025
SPIAction Newsletter — June 2025
Dear Princeton SPIA community,The University held its 2025 Commencement exercises two weeks ago, and, as is tradition, the School celebrated its graduates at our master’s hooding and awards ceremony and undergraduate Class Day. In my remarks, I shared that my family had welcomed two new grandchildren over the last year – and I charged the graduates with safeguarding them and children the world over.“As a mother and now grandmother, there’s nothing more humbling and touching than to look into the eyes of an innocent newborn and ask yourself, what type of life will they lead?” I said. “What type of world will they inherit? Will their rights as children…
Ethan Kapstein
News June 05, 2025
When Do ‘Side Payments’ Between Countries Generate Positive Results?
Princeton SPIA’s Research Record series highlights the vast scholarly achievements of our faculty members, whose expertise extends beyond the classroom and into everyday life.If you’d like your work considered for future editions of Research Record, click here and select “research project.”
SPIA accolades header
News June 04, 2025
SPIAccolades — June 2025
Eduardo Bhatia, the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor and a visiting lecturer in public and international affairs, delivered the keynote address at the 2025 Cornell Energy Summit on April 30. Bhatia, a former president of the Senate of Puerto Rico, shared insights drawn from the public policy challenges Puerto Rico is facing as it transitions from an oil-dependent energy system to fully renewable sources by 2050. His address highlighted key lessons that can be applied to similar scenarios globally. Charles M. Cameron, a professor of politics and public affairs, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American…
row of jail cell doors
News June 03, 2025
Bipartisan Group Facilitated by Princeton SPIA Issues Criminal Justice Reform Principles
National organizations from across the political spectrum have released a set of principles aimed at guiding policymakers in reforming the U.S. criminal justice system to be fairer and more effective.Following discussions facilitated by the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Council on Criminal Justice and sponsored by The Just Trust, 14 organizations ranging from the Conservative Political Action Conference to the American Civil Liberties Union pledged their support of four principles “meant to show the American public and policymakers that there is agreement on the left and right that the criminal justice system needs to be…
P*LAW Workshops Tackle Democracy’s Toughest Questions story header
News June 02, 2025
How P•LAW Workshops Tackle Democracy’s Toughest Questions
In the years following 9/11, Deborah Pearlstein learned a lasting lesson on how to make progress in divisive moments.As the former Supreme Court clerk worked on addressing serious questions of legality in U.S. detention and interrogation operations, she organized an off-the-record workshop that brought together a select group of leaders from across institutions that don’t typically collaborate – including the military and intelligence communities, universities, and advocacy organizations. As a result of relationships forged beginning at that meeting, retired military leaders joined forces with human rights groups to become prominent backers of anti…
Reunions
News May 28, 2025
Speakers at Princeton SPIA’s Hooding, Class Day Ceremonies Stand Up for Public Service
At a moment of unprecedented challenges in public service, speakers at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ graduate hooding and awards ceremony and undergraduate Class Day were unequivocal in their advocacy for the field.“Public service, embodied by every graduate here today, is a commitment – to seeing every member of our society's humanity as sacred,” said Katie Deal, co-chair of the Princeton University Policy Student Government. “It’s a commitment to building institutions that honor human dignity and restore faith in the promise of the public good.”Deal was one of 68 Master in Public Affairs graduates; together, they…
2024 reunions and commencement event activities
News May 22, 2025
Celebration of MPA Program’s 75th Anniversary Headlines Princeton SPIA’s Reunions and Commencement Ceremonies
With Princeton University set to celebrate the tradition-laden events of Reunions and Commencement, the School of Public and International Affairs is adding an extra layer of nostalgia to the proceedings.As part of Reunions, the School will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first cohort of its Master in Public Affairs program, which graduated in 1950.At 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23, MPA alumni from throughout the decades will gather in Arthur Lewis Auditorium for a special presentation. After remarks by Dean Amaney Jamal, several MPA alumni will offer recollections of their time in the program. The speakers include Karen McGuinness, the School’s…
Capitol building, Washington, D.C.
News May 21, 2025
Princeton SPIA’s D.C. Center Hosts Diplomatic Series to Discuss Policy Topics Ranging from Transatlantic Relations to Economic Statecraft
Leveraging its location in the nation’s capital, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ SPIA D.C. Center has served as a gathering space not only for domestic policymakers but also for diplomats representing their governments in Washington.The Diplomatic Corps Dinner Series has welcomed ambassadors and diplomats from four regions for substantive policy conversations and engagement with Princeton faculty.“The objective is to establish relationships with the diplomatic corps, invite them to become part of the life of the Center, and to find ways for them, their foreign ministries, and their governments to engage directly with our…
Spring 2025 Dean's Leadership Series guests
News May 15, 2025
Spring 2025 Dean’s Leadership Series Showcases Numerous Pathways to Public Service
Members of Congress, analysts, activists, and thinktank leaders were among the 17 distinguished guests to appear as part of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ Dean’s Leadership Series this spring.The series offers students of the School and throughout Princeton the chance to engage with some of the world's most influential leaders. Through multiday campus visits, SPIA hosts public lectures and exclusive student discussions with renowned alumni, acclaimed authors, trailblazing innovators, thought leaders, distinguished policymakers, and global changemakers.“We were honored to host such a diverse lineup of eminent speakers,” said…
Michael Owen MPA ’75, Jennifer J. Raab MPA ’79, Kavita Ramdas MPA ’88, Nancy Cordes MPA ’99, Richard Johnson MPA ’06, Narong Silpathamtada MPA ’10, and Kidus Asfaw MPA ’14
News May 13, 2025
Seventy-Five Years in the Making: Princeton SPIA MPA Alumni Offer Advice to the Program’s Newest Grads
Princeton University’s 278th Commencement will mark a special anniversary for the graduates of Princeton SPIA’s Master in Public Affairs (MPA) program. The 2023-2024 cohort of the two-year program will cross the stage as members of the 75th anniversary graduating class, harkening back to the program’s origins in 1948.For three-quarters of a century, MPA alumni have gone on to meaningful careers in federal, state, and local governments — here in the United States and around the world — NGOs and nonprofits, the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and countless organizations large and small that change the world for the…
Princeton SPIA students and alumni gathered at the Students and Alumni of Color Spring Symposium on April 5 and 6 at Robertson Hall.
News May 08, 2025
Princeton SPIA Community Shines at SAOC Spring Symposium
Ask a sampling of Princeton School of Public and International Affairs students or alumni what they value most about their education and, inevitably, they will say “the community.” The strength of the Princeton SPIA network was on full display on April 5 and 6 at the annual Students and Alumni of Color (SAOC) Spring Symposium.During the conference, billed “Equity Unfinished: Confronting Racism and Reimagining Justice,” Princeton SPIA alumni and students gathered to share insights, experiences, and business cards as they heard from a variety of speakers on today’s most pressing policy challenges.The event also served as an opportunity to recognize…