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Arif (BA ’23) was selected as one of 45 nationwide recipients of the highly competitive Rangel Graduate Fellowship, which prepares young people for careers in the U.S. Foreign Service. As part of the program, she began her Master's in International Affairs program at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs this fall.

At a recent discussion hosted by UVA Batten, two alumni of the Rodel Institute’s bipartisan fellowship program shared candid reflections on the challenges and opportunities of governing in polarized times. The talk was one of several events held in conjunction with Rodel’s book award, annually hosted by Batten.

UVA Batten was honored to host this year's Rodel Institute Edwards Book Award, which recognizes books that make an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of democracy and American politics. This year's winner, “Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis,” was written by James Davison Hunter, a longtime faculty member in UVA’s Department of Sociology.

In a special event celebrating UVA’s Education Rights Institute, Ketanji Brown Jackson made a historic visit to Grounds last week for an address to a packed audience of about 800 students, faculty, staff, and community members at Old Cabell Hall. Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the highest court in the land.

As president and CEO of Carlyle Airport Group Holdings, LLC, UVA alumni Amit Rikhy has led the effort to secure $9.5 billion for the redevelopment of Terminal One at New York City’s JFK International Airport — the largest aviation public-private partnership in U.S. history. Rikhy was our Batten Hour guest speaker recently.

Thomas (BA ’21) has forged a career in public policy and now is blending his experience with his creative nature across the globe. Thomas is serving as a Youth Ambassador at the USA Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Japan, where he is introducing attendees to American culture and innovation.

In a special Batten Hour event for the national commemoration of Constitution and Citizenship Day, renowned constitutional scholar and author Paul Carrese delivered a clear message: The U.S. Constitution cannot endure without citizens who are schooled in civic principles and history and, importantly, prepared to practice civic virtues.

At a special Batten Hour this week, Dean Ian H. Solomon delivered his annual State of the School address, welcoming the school's largest-yet classes of BA and MPP students and also new faculty and staff. Batten's mission, he said, is what sustains his gratitude for the community. “Who better than the people here to be the new leaders for these times of uncertainty and change."

Rick Carlisle (COLL ’84), head coach of the Indiana Pacers, was the featured guest this week for the first Batten Hour of the fall 2025 semester. Speaking to a packed audience in the Great Hall, Carlisle talked about the values that have inspired him throughout his career, both on and off the court.

The Batten School is excited to welcome seven new leaders to the Batten Alumni Advisory Board. Elected by their peers, these alumni represent the core values of our school, each one dedicated to public service and evidence-based policymaking, and to helping sustain the Batten School’s mission for current and future students.

Reynolds (MPP ’24) is blending her worldly upbringing and educational background in international affairs and policy to pursue her third degree in Europe through the highly coveted Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters scholarship. The program will take her to four European institutions, including The Hague, a global center of international law. “The community at Batten is truly its biggest strength, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of it.”

Joining the award-winning faculty of the UVA Batten School this fall, five new faculty members bring diverse research portfolios and substantial policy experience to enrich Batten’s growing community.