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The University of Virginia Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy today announced a new graduate-level course that will be taught by American author and historian Craig Shirley in the fall. The course, titled “Lessons in Leadership: Reagan,” will be the first-ever Batten School course to examine the historical and political context of Ronald Reagan’s presidency and how it translates to today’s political landscape.

When Kiara Rogers stepped foot on the University of Virginia’s Grounds four years ago, she knew she wanted to pursue a pre-law track so that someday she could give a greater voice to other women and to the causes that she believed in.

The Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy is proud to announce the launch of the Batten Benefactors Society, an annual leadership giving program designed to recognize the School’s most generous donors and inspire others to contribute.

As rainy, gray clouds loomed over Monticello, Sylvia Earle – an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress, and this year’s recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Citizen Leadership – gave her keynote address.

“I am fortunate that I am able to study and teach topics that I find the most interesting,” said Batten Professor David Leblang. Leblang joined the University of Virginia in the Department of Politics and the Miller Center in 2008. In 2009 he became affiliated with the Batten School, where he teaches a course on international economic policy.

As the director of social entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, professor Christine Mahoney had spent a good deal of her time devising innovative approaches for solving social challenges around the world. However, it gnawed at Mahoney that she hadn’t been able to do as much as she would have liked right here in Charlottesville.

Lisa Hall is acutely aware of how capital can be used for the betterment of society. Former CEO of the Calvert Impact Capital, Hall has worked in a variety of sectors and developed a unique vantage on inciting social change and economic equality.

With a piece of paper and a Crayon, a young Madeleine Mayhew (BA ‘19) jotted down a sentence that would guide her decisions through elementary school, middle school, high school and, eventually, college.

There’s no denying the state of American higher education is at a crossroads. From front-page news of admissions scandals to politicians promising and demanding free education for all, American colleges and universities are being increasingly scrutinized—and for good reason. The University of Virginia is no exception.

Having skied and sailed in beautiful locales like Jackson, Wyoming; Newport, Rhode Island; and Puerto Rico, Jay Shimshack has loved nature ever since he can remember. So when he turned that love into a career, it felt, well, completely natural.

The class of 2018 employment data shows that Batten grads are making their mark in unique and challenging positions across sectors and around the globe.

For Sumedha Deshmukh (MPP’17) good policymaking should be able to anticipate unintended consequences.