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Eric Ramputh (BA ’19) applied to the Batten School on a whim. Ramputh, who transferred to UVA and into the Batten School in 2017, recalls how he discovered the school and why it ultimately was the right fit for him.

This past June, Batten professors Lucy Bassett and Andrew Pennock participated in the University’s Teaching Race at UVA seminar. Launched in the summer of 2018, the seminar which is an initiative of the Office of the Provost grew out of a desire to deepen faculty’s understanding of the University’s and greater Charlottesville’s complicated history with race.

Working on issues related to rural poverty may not be as glamorous as other high-profile policy issues, but for Evelyn Immonen (MPP ’18), the margin of good that can be done in just one small town is worth the effort and commitment

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy welcomed four new professors to its distinguished faculty for the 2019-20 academic year. The Batten School considers not only academic rigor, but also real-world experience, political impact, teaching, and mentoring when recruiting faculty members.

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers at the beginning of their research careers.

The University of Virginia has been recognized for Social Entrepreneurship @UVA’s commitment to fostering innovation and empowering the next generation of future changemakers and citizen leaders.

“My mother was a professor of nursing at the University of North Dakota, and she served as associate dean of the School of Nursing for a number of years,” said Volden. “So, I grew up with an example of what it meant to be a valued professor and an academic leader. Although I thought of pursuing other paths along the way, this one felt very natural to me as I finished college and started into graduate school.”

"Beginning with their extraordinary gift to establish the Batten School in 2007, the Batten family continues to shape the face of leadership education for the 21st century," said Ian Solomon, Batten School dean-elect.

Affiliated Batten faculty member, Larry Terry, who is the executive director of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service discusses the best practices and strategies for criminal justice reform.

Today, the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy announced the 2019-20 student recipients of the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship. Established in 2012 by a generous gift from Mary Buford and Fred Hitz, the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship Fund supports outstanding students in Batten’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree programs who are committed to effecting positive change through careers in public service.

The Batten School announced the appointment of Professor Jay Shimshack as associate dean for academic affairs. Shimshack succeeds Professor Craig Volden, who will conclude his distinguished four-year term as associate dean at the end of June and transition to the role of interim dean of the Batten School until Dean-elect Ian Solomon’s arrival on Sept. 1.

“I have always been interested in serving something greater than myself,” said Nate Jewell (BA’ 16).