“Making sure students know there is a team of people who can and want to help is fundamental to success. Connecting student services, academic advising, and career services creates an equitable support structure,” says Steve Hiss, director of career services and alumni engagement at UVA Batten. 

In the United States, youth mental illness is on the rise. Young people are increasingly likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition and even to die by suicide. COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, turning it into “a pandemic of its own,” Batten lecturer Brooke Lehmann told an online audience during the latest edition of Batten Expert Chats. 

Almost a year ago, a group of 19 high school juniors visited the University of Virginia as part of Hoos First Look, a student-run program that gives first-generation and low-income students an all-expenses-paid orientation visit.

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.

Many institutions of higher education are looking to become more inclusive. But what’s the most effective way to do that—at the University of Virginia and elsewhere? Dana Laurens and Michael Dannenberg weigh in. 

Today, the Batten School announced the nine student recipients of the Bocock and Hitz Public Service Fellowship for 2020-21. Through the generosity of Mary Buford and Fred Hitz, the fellowship was established in 2012 to support exceptional students in MPP program who are dedicated to creating positive change in their public service careers.

The public session of the University’s Racial Equity Task Force featuring Dean Solomon occurred virtually Friday, over one month after a group of Black student activists and the Black Student Alliance sent separate list of demands to the task force. 

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.

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.

Kimberly Jenkins Robinson is a professor of law, education and public policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Robinson is a national expert who speaks domestically and internationally about educational equity, equal educational opportunity, civil rights and the federal role in education. Her work proposes innovative legal and policy solutions to ensure that all children receive equal access to an excellent education.