News

Gelsdorf_Bassett
May 15, 2020

Opinion: Now is the time to prioritize mental health

It is estimated that only 2% of people around the world have access to mental health and psychosocial support, or MHPSS. The question is, will COVID-19 offer us a chance to change this? Batten’s Kirsten Gelsdorf and Lucy Bassett provide critical insights into the barriers to progress in MHPSS interventions, and identify opportunities to prioritize and invest in new programs going forward.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Apr 17, 2020

Coronavirus policies spread quickly across the U.S. Are cities and states learning — or just copying?

As the novel coronavirus has spread across U.S. cities and states, so have public policies aimed at stopping the pandemic. Batten's Craig Volden and co-author Charles R. Shipan examine how some states have learned from others’ policy successes, while others simply copy their neighbors or even compete against them, and why that matters.

First place winners
Apr 07, 2020

The Batten School and NASPAA Announce Global Winners of the 2020 Student Simulation Competition

Today, the Batten School and the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) announced the winners of the 2020 NASPAA-Batten Student Simulation Competition—the largest student simulation competition in higher education. There were 64 teams competing at seven sites around the globe, devising and implementing public transport policies in order to create improved sustainability strategies for their virtual cities.

Craig Volden
Mar 06, 2020

Productive Politicians Fare Better in Primaries

Now that Super Tuesday is behind us, voters can look forward to another primary in the spring – this time for Congressional candidates. As a professor of public policy and politics at the Batten School and co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, Craig Volden has studied what factors make for a successful candidate and drawn some conclusions about this state’s congressional delegation.

Super Tuesday Panelists
Mar 04, 2020

Batten’s Super Tuesday Panelists Discuss Democratic Primaries in Virginia and Beyond

Hosted by the Batten School and Center for Politics, the panel featured Heather Caygle, a POLITICO Congress reporter; Jocelyn Kiley, the associate director of research at Pew Research Center; Rohini Kosoglu, a senior advisor to Senator Kamala Harris; Tara Setmayer, a CNN Political Commentator and ABC News Political Contributor; and Mara Suttman-Lea, a professor at Connecticut College.

Garrett Hall at Sunset

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