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You may be wondering why, over the last few months, the state pension problem – normally not a subject of widespread discussion – has been in the news. The problem – and it’s a big one – is that many of the public employee pension plans run by states don’t have enough money in them to make upcoming pension payments to retired state workers.

What can America’s higher education system do to reduce the use of excessive force among police? As a public policy scholar who examines the interplay between race, policing and public governance, I see multiple things that colleges and universities can do to make a difference.

Earlier this week, Batten professors moderated a discussion between the four candidates on issues ranging from racial justice to gun control.

Malcolm Brogdon (MPP '16) had a megaphone in his hand and family history on his mind. It was May 30 in his native Atlanta, and hundreds were listening to Brogdon address the fury that had swept America since the death of George Floyd.

On Tuesday afternoon, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Larry Terry – who holds an appointment in UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy – to a two-year term on the Virginia State Crime Commission.

On June 6, Dean Solomon appeared on CBC Radio One’s “Day 6” program to discuss his recent essay on the murder of George Floyd, how his brother died in 2011 while in police custody, his hopes for positive action, and more.

A new task force at the University of Virginia will gather, solicit and prioritize recommendations about racial equity, UVa President Jim Ryan announced Wednesday. Among the three members selected was Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy Dean Ian H. Solomon.

For the latest installment of Batten’s Expert Chat Series, water sustainability experts Charles Iceland and Jon Freedman spoke and took questions on the world’s most vital resource.

On June 2, Dean Ian Solomon shared his personal reflections on this moment of national crisis and conflict.

The novel coronavirus crisis disproportionately affects already vulnerable populations — and Virginia’s refugees are no exception. In today's Washington Post, Batten alum Hannah Gavin (MPP '20) urges Virginia lawmakers to continue looking out for its most vulnerable in these unprecedented times of isolation, uncertainty and negativity.

Batten professor Andy Pennock spoke with a panel of alums representing federal, state, and local government for last week’s edition of Batten’s Expert Chat Series.

Batten's John Holbein and other Political Scientists found that while the nature of politics encourages politicians to undermine negative coverage through claims of bias, ideological bias in U.S. newspapers is largely nonexistent.