Student Stories

2019 Batten graduates received year-end recognition with an impressive range of accolades honoring academic achievement and attributes including intellectual curiosity, athletic success, character, service, kindness, and leadership.

The ebullient young man who goes by Pobo is many things – a graduate student in UVA's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, one of the elite throwers in NCAA track & field, an accomplished chess player and teacher, among them – but on this night he was an amateur working with a pro.

Two years ago, the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy’s Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming put students through the paces of a global food security simulation. Last year, the center created a global pandemic simulation.

Brendin Duckett, who will graduate later this month, has immersed himself in University life since transferring to UVA after suffering a lacrosse injury.

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is proud to announce the launch of the Batten Benefactors Society, an annual leadership giving program designed to recognize the School’s most generous donors and inspire others to contribute.

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.

Every year, Batten’s National Security Policy Center (NSPC) provides MPP students with a unique opportunity to shake hands with national security and defense officials. This year, NSPC director Philip Potter took students to visit the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the National Security Council (NSC) in Washington D.C.

The Batten School announced the selection of eight Batten students as finalists in the highly competitive Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program. The PMF program, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, is the federal government’s most prestigious fellowship for graduate students entering the federal workforce.

In the midst of finals frenzy, Batten students are coming together to make the holidays a little merrier for others in Charlottesville and across the country. Last Friday, Dec. 7, the Batten Undergraduate Council (BUC) hosted a holiday party at the Charlottesville Boys and Girls Club at Buford Middle School.

The Batten School is embracing this holiday season by recognizing individuals, organizations, and projects that are making a positive impact in the world. Check out Hava’s Indiegogo Campaign. The first-of-its-kind air-filtering scarf will be available in Spring 2019.