Batten's Paul Martin teaches a course aimed at improving experiences for first-generation students at UVA, while also participating in a wide range of activities for the betterment of the Charlottesville community.

Air pollution can have serious consequences for a person’s quality of life. Inhaling high concentrations of “fine particulate matter,” or particles approximately 40 times smaller than a grain of sand, has been linked to cancer, heart disease, and even death Jonathan Colmer told an online audience last week.

Educator, scholar, and analyst Brendan Boler will join the faculty at the Batten School for the 2020-21 academic year. As an assistant professor of public policy, Boler will teach core and elective leadership courses in both the BA and MPP curricula.

PM2.5 air pollution has fallen substantially in the past four decades, yet relative disparities still persist throughout the United States. That is the key finding from a paper published in the July 31 issue of Science magazine, written by Batten School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jay Shimshack. 

The Batten School announced the appointment of Professor Jay Shimshack as associate dean for academic affairs. Shimshack succeeds Professor Craig Volden, who will conclude his distinguished four-year term as associate dean at the end of June and transition to the role of interim dean of the Batten School until Dean-elect Ian Solomon’s arrival on Sept. 1.