Engage with Us

We Envision...

…a vibrant democratic society in which ethical leadership empowers humanity to bridge divides, identify and solve existing and emerging policy problems, and heal the fractures in our communities.

We take inspiration from the courageous experiment in democratic self-government whose seeds were planted as self-evident truths right here in Charlottesville and whose fruits we cherish in a contested, imperfect, perpetuating democracy.

Over 250 years, the arc of America’s story has been one of increasing inclusion and participation, thanks to committed struggle, imaginative leadership, and the collaborative work of forming a more perfect union.

Out of many, one. We are connected by our common humanity. We will continue bending the arc for justice and inclusion through our teaching, research, and public engagement.

Mission

To develop leaders and to create and apply knowledge to solve the toughest public policy challenges in our diverse and divided world

Acting with Integrity on Shared Values

Courage

We fearlessly incubate and pilot new ideas and approaches to advance our mission, boldly and nimbly crossing traditional boundaries and borders. We welcome hard conversations and respectful disagreement.

Curiosity

We humbly acknowledge how much we have yet to learn and discover, asking questions and practicing deep, generous listening to facilitate greater understanding – of the world and of each other.

Inclusion

We respect and celebrate human differences and the potential for unique contributions, recognizing that effective solutions require leadership from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We foster an inclusive and supported community where all belong.

Impact

We seek to impact positive change on issues impacting our communities, from the local to the global.

Service

We work in service of something greater, empowering and supporting one another to be agents of change for the common good.

A vision of greater service and impact

Batten 2023

A small but growing leadership and public policy school with cutting edge research and exceptional academic programs, which primarily serve students in residence in Charlottesville.

Outstanding BA and MPP offerings

470 full-time, degree students; 2000 overall students

40 FT faculty

Garrett Hall plus 4 other buildings

A vision of greater service and impact

Batten 2030

A dynamic educational institution that nimbly tackles society’s most complex and vexing problems by intentionally integrating policy with leadership and investing in flexible, interdisciplinary, experiential learning opportunities that serve high potential leaders from all backgrounds.

Additional degree, certificate, credential, and non-credit offerings (e.g., shorter-term degree and microcredential programs)

Reaching 3-4X participants with greater diversity of pre-Batten experiences and perspectives (e.g., work, geography, intergroup relations, community college); includes new modalities of instruction

60 faculty; building on strengths, closing critical gaps, addressing emerging policy challenges; higher visibility and impact

Integrated Garrett Hall and 2nd Batten building and also meeting students where they are, online, DC or elsewhere

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