News

collage of photos from the Alex Bick class
Dec 04, 2024

Class Simulation Puts Students at the Center of a Tense Global Drama

A natural disaster in Taiwan quickly escalates into an international crisis, bringing the world to the brink of war. This was the scenario given by Associate Professor Alexander Bick to his class, “Strategic Decision-Making" — one example of the experiential learning opportunities offered to our students to prepare them to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. 

Potter at NSP&DI ribbon cutting
Dec 03, 2024

Phil Potter: A Humble Heavy Hitter in National Security

Phil Potter's leadership, knowledge of the intelligence world and commitment to public service, including as founder of UVA Batten’s National Security Policy Center, has culminated in his appointment as the inaugural director of the newly launched National Security Data and Policy Institute, a project of UVA and the Department of Defense. 

Sadie Rogerson and Emma Nardone
Dec 02, 2024

Two Alumna Get Real-World Experience in Humanitarian Policy

Two recent UVA Batten graduates had a rare opportunity last summer to support one of the country’s leading organizations working on global hunger. Sadie Rogerson and Emma Nardone were selected to participate — with full funding — in a pilot of the UVA Batten Humanitarian Collaborative Fellowship program.

bocanegra and La Vigne
Nov 20, 2024

Ending Gun Violence Starts with Understanding

Eddie Bocanegra with the U.S. Department of Justice, and Nancy La Vigne of the National Institute of Justice of the United States joined Assistant Professor Kyle S.H. Dobson for a panel discussion about policy solutions to gun violence.

post-elex analysis ashley jardina
Nov 07, 2024

2024 Post-Election Analysis with UVA Experts

UVA Batten Associate Professor Ashley Jardina joined several other UVA political experts on a panel this morning at Garrett Hall for a post-election analysis. The event was co-hosted by Batten, the Karsh Institute of Democracy and the Miller Center, and was moderated by Batten Dean Ian H. Solomon. 

cover of CEL report 2024
Nov 06, 2024

Center for Effective Lawmaking: 2024 Annual Report

The Center for Effective Lawmaking is marking an extremely successful year with the release of its annual report. Founded in 2017 as a joint venture between UVA Batten and Vanderbilt University, the center’s trusted methodology and analyses have been cited in hundreds of news articles across the U.S., and widely used by lawmakers and their staffs.

Nick Bloom
Nov 01, 2024

From the Pandemic, a Phenomenon That’s Here to Stay

Nick Bloom is internationally renowned for his research on working from home, which became a worldwide phenomenon during the Covid pandemic. Bloom, the William Eberle Professor of Economics at Stanford University, was our guest speaker at this year’s Merrick Lecture, hosted in partnership with the UVA Department of Economics.

Hana Bakhit
Oct 31, 2024

UVA Batten Hosts Panel on Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

UVA Batten student Hana Bakhit (MPP '25), who is from Sudan, organized and moderated a panel of experts to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis occurring in the country. The panelists included representatives of the World Food Programme-Sudan, DT Institute and USAID.   

Bill Gates at Batten Hour
Oct 30, 2024

Local Official Becomes Champion of Democracy: “I Did My Job”

As an elected official in Maricopa County, Arizona, in 2020, Bill Gates saw first-hand the troubling impacts of election conspiracies, experiencing intense pressure to alter the county's elections process, even facing threats of violence. Since then, he's been an outspoken advocate for election workers and democracy; he spoke at Garrett Hall for this week's Batten Hour.  

Garrett Hall at Sunset

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