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As rainy, gray clouds loomed over Monticello, Sylvia Earle – an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, and this year’s recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership – gave her keynote address.

“I am fortunate that I am able to study and teach topics that I find the most interesting,” said Batten Professor David Leblang. Leblang joined the University of Virginia in the Department of Politics and the Miller Center in 2008. In 2009 he became affiliated with the Batten School, where he teaches a course on international economic policy.

As the director of social entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, professor Christine Mahoney had spent a good deal of her time devising innovative approaches for solving social challenges around the world. However, it gnawed at Mahoney that she hadn’t been able to do as much as she would have liked right here in Charlottesville.

Lisa Hall is acutely aware of how capital can be used for the betterment of society. Former CEO of the Calvert Impact Capital, Hall has worked in a variety of sectors and developed a unique vantage on inciting social change and economic equality.

With a piece of paper and a Crayon, a young Madeleine Mayhew (BA ‘19) jotted down a sentence that would guide her decisions through elementary school, middle school, high school and, eventually, college.

There’s no denying the state of American higher education is at a crossroads. From front-page news of admissions scandals to politicians promising and demanding free education for all, American colleges and universities are being increasingly scrutinized—and for good reason. The University of Virginia is no exception.

Having skied and sailed in beautiful locales like Jackson, Wyoming; Newport, Rhode Island; and Puerto Rico, Jay Shimshack has loved nature ever since he can remember. So when he turned that love into a career, it felt, well, completely natural.

The class of 2018 employment data shows that Batten grads are making their mark in unique and challenging positions across sectors and around the globe.

For Sumedha Deshmukh (MPP’17) good policymaking should be able to anticipate unintended consequences.

The refugee crisis is not America’s crisis nor is it Europe’s crisis. It’s the refugee’s crisis. Unbelievable, huh? Films such as, “4.1 miles” and “From Damascus to Chicago,” which screened at Garrett Hall on Thursday evening, Feb. 28 serve as a counter to viewing the current predicament as one giant statistic.

Thanks to a unique partnership between the Batten School and the University’s talent development team within UVA Human Resources, a new series of three director-level leadership development courses spearheaded by Batten Professor Gabrielle Adams will soon be available to University HR managers.

Renowned oceanographer and National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle is the 2019 recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership.