The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) announced that the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy was selected as a host site for the 2016 Student Simulation Competition. The competition will take place on Saturday, February 27, 2016 across the United States and Europe.

The inaugural NASPAA Student Simulation Competition was held at sites across the country in early 2015. Batten MPP alumnus Zachary Blackburn was a part of the team which won the national competition for their health care reform proposal. Teams consisted of graduate public policy and administration students from universities across the nation.

The Batten School was selected because of its demonstrated leadership in implementing simulations in public policy education. Other host sites include Arizona State University School of Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, Georgia State University Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs, University of Maryland School of Public Policy, University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and Maastricht University, Netherlands.

At the 2015 NASPAA Annual Conference, Professor Gerard Learmonth spoke on the panel “The NASPAA Student Simulation Competition: What’s Ahead in 2016 and Beyond.” Learmonth is the director of the Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming at the Batten School and will serve as the host site simulation leader.