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UVA plans to invest $100 million in the study, teaching and promotion of democracy made possible with a $50 million gift from Martha and Bruce Karsh to establish the Karsh Institute of Democracy. The Institute will bring together and augment the work of entities already dedicated to the study of democracy at UVA, including the Batten School.

Despite many challenges posed by the pandemic, Adams and Bassett demonstrated outstanding skill, compassion and creativity in keeping students engaged in virtual classes and relating their subject material to daily life.

In her graduation poem – read at Sunday’s ceremony – Hannah Semmes (BA '20) said maybe she would have taken that last walk around Grounds, gone to that dinner, asked out that boy, gone to that party if she knew we were leaving so soon.

Matt Gillam (BA ’21), a proud Long Islander, knew he wanted to be a Batten student from the moment he learned about the School. After graduating this month, he'll bring the leadership skills he gained during his time at Batten, along with his passion for service, to the classroom with Teach for America.

In Professor Lucy Bassett’s class on the U.S./Mexico border, students learn to integrate their policy knowledge with storytelling techniques to reach new audiences. Their multimedia projects bring the border crisis to life.

The location of Batten Student Jasmine Rangel’s (MPP '21) childhood house changed the course of her life. Now, she’s working to ensure that everyone has a stable, affordable home.

On Sunday, May 16, more than 2,800 of the graduates who gathered around screens last year massed behind the Rotunda, in person and in full color. A year in the making, Sunday’s ceremonies were full of touching moments, joyful reunions and some fun surprises, including a poem from Batten grad Hannah Semmes (BA '20).

According to new research from Batten’s Christopher J. Ruhm, the federal government’s opioid grant funding structure favors the least populous states, which are not always the states with greatest need. In an op-ed for The Hill, Ruhm suggests several ways to improve the targeting of federal grants that aim to assist states with opioid problems.

A former sports journalist and investment banker, Batten’s Sean Bielawski, who will graduate with his MPP next week, has no regrets about saying yes to everything.

The Pilot and Legacy Awards are the most prestigious student-nominated awards for graduating MPP and BA students. This year, a record number of nominations were submitted by Batten students, faculty and staff who were impacted by Batten’s Class of 2021.

In a case of simulation imitating life, Batten's Center for Leadership Simulation and Gaming provides an opportunity for students to wrestle with a simulated pandemic online – during a worldwide pandemic.

Batten professors Kirsten Gelsdorf and John Holbein were two of the five University of Virginia faculty members to be recognized with 2020-21 Public Service Awards for their dedication to work that enhances student experiences and engages communities nearby and around the world.