“We’re at the intersection of past and present—and we're teetering a bit,” Batten professor Brian N. Williams told an online audience last week. “Evolution or revolution? Reform or riot? Progress or more protests? Should we defund and divest or deconstruct and reconstruct?”

Earlier this week Governor Northam of Virginia declared June 19 as a day to reflect on the meaning of Juneteenth. The University of Virginia and Batten School also honor this day.

“It was a huge wake-up call for me,” Ian Solomon told me. “It’s too easy to put the blame on individuals and not recognize what’s below the surface. We put all the blame on a person’s failings, and they do have failings. But my brother did not fail to be a human being, right? It’s easy to dehumanize people for their errors, for their mistakes, for their addictions, for their pasts.”

For the latest edition of Batten’s Expert Chat Series, Dean Ian Solomon led the Batten community in a discussion of the University’s fight against racism and inequity.

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.

Brendan Boler is Faculty Director of Integrated Career Education at the UVA Career Center and Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Boler specializes in management consulting, high-performance coaching, and talent assessment and selection. He has extensive experience within the fields of management consulting and banking, having worked at Accenture, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. 

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.

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

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.