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More than 125 people attended a special Batten Hour this week in celebration of Constitution Day. UVA Batten Dean Ian H. Solomon hosted a conversation with retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig and John Hardin Young of the American Bar Association.

UVA Batten Dean Ian Solomon visited Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the Sixth World Conference on Remedies to Racial and Social Inequality, which convened academic, policy and community leaders to share their insights and experience battling inequality.

More than 75 students gathered in Garrett Hall Monday to kick off this year’s hallmark “Batten Hour” speaker series with an interactive discussion titled “’Good’ Public Speech: Incentivizing Dialogue Over Debate," featuring UVA professors Brian N. Williams, Frank Dukes and Rachel Wahl.

Professor Andy Pennock was invited to be a plenary speaker at the inaugural Georgia Mayors Leadership Academy where he provided an immersive learning experience about how to cultivate relationships, respond effectively during crises, advance community engagement and more.

The UVA Batten School is extremely pleased to welcome two new faculty members this fall: Tim Layton joins us as an associate professor of public policy, and Andrew Simon joins us as an assistant professor of public policy.

Gerald Higginbotham has received a major federal grant to establish a community support network for early-career Black social and personality psychologists. Read our story about his first year on faculty and his research and engagement on tough subjects such as gun ownership, identity politics and racism.

UVA Batten is pleased to welcome Jonathan Eig to Grounds on September 26, where he will receive the Rodel Institute’s 2024 Edwards Book Award for his recent biography, King: A Life. Batten is co-hosting the event with the institute, where Batten Dean Ian Solomon serves on the board.

Professor Alex Bick had a bird's-eye view of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2021 as a White House adviser at the time. He joined our faculty last year and this fall, he's teaching a new course that traces the evolution of the war to examine core problems in national security, foreign policy, and strategic decision making.

In a paper published in JAMA Health Forum, Professor of Public Policy and Economics Chris Ruhm finds that stringent COVID-19 restrictions saved lives during the pandemic based on a state-by-state analysis of health policies and COVID deaths.

"This was probably the most rewarding feeling I have ever experienced...Representing UVA made it all the more special, with the coaches taking a chance on me and then being able to live up to my ability," said Shane Cohen (MPP '25) whose love for running and for the University of Virginia, in particular Batten, is apparent through our recent Question and Answer session with him.

The Open Doors Program showcases UVA’s dedication to cross-school collaboration by supporting undergraduate students from Virginia State University and Norfolk State University in exploring graduate school and research opportunities. The program is supported by Batten, the School of Education and Human Development and the Carter G. Woodson Institute.

Each year, Batten’s Executive Committee selects the Batten Faculty Awards Winners in four areas of review -- research, teaching, service and engagement -- in recognition for the faculty members’ contributions throughout the previous year. We congratulate this year's winners: Ashley Jardina, Andy Pennock, Dan Player and Daphna Bassok.