Batten Admissions Event Draws Over 100 Prospective Students

The Batten School held a reception and information session for prospective undergraduate students on Wednesday, October 26 in the Great Hall, drawing more than 100 individuals. The event featured a meet-and-greet with current Batten students, brief welcoming from Dean Harry Harding, and program overview by Howard Hoege, Director of Admissions. Hoege thanked current students for the excitement and buzz surrounding the event. “I can’t overstate the impact you all have on prospective students deciding whether or not to apply to the Batten School,” he said in an email. “You all are remarkable stewards of our community.”

As the Batten School continues to grow, Hoege will shift his efforts to admissions for the two-year program, while Meg Harmon, current Admissions Coordinator, will take on responsibilities for the Accelerated class. “Howard and I are really excited about this year’s pool of prospective students. It’s moving to see such motivated students interested in our program,” she said. The Batten School also welcomed the addition of Student Services Coordinator James Paradis this fall. Paradis is a 2008 graduate of the University of Virginia and received his Master’s degree in Education Policy Studies from The George Washington University in 2011. He has blended right in with the Batten community and was instrumental to the success of the 2011 Batten Leadership Retreat in Oak Hill, West Virginia.

Post by Rob Panos

Batten IM Sports Off to a Strong Start

The Batten School’s co-rec intramural basketball team, the Batten Ballers, are off to a fantastic 2-0 start. The team took its second win 57-50 on Tuesday against its toughest opponent thus far. The game was close through much of the first half, with both teams sinking baskets. However, the Batten Ballers began pulling away with eight minutes left in the first half with the help of the outside sharp shooting of Imran Khan (Grad ’13). The team went into half time with a 10-point lead.

Down the stretch, the Batten Ballers held onto the lead with support from big man Nathan Swedberg (Acc. ’12), the sneaky dribbling of Rob Panos (Acc. ’12), the streaky shooting of Matt Kragie (Acc. ’12), and the fearless guard-play of Kellie Huynh. The opposing team cut the lead to seven with two minutes left on the clock with an aggressive full-court press, but the disciplined Batten Ballers sunk critical free throws and ran down the remaining time for an important victory. Always the public service minded team, it should be noted that Colleen McEnearney (Acc. ’12) and Mary Drach (Acc. ’12) helped out the IM staff with game scoring when not ballin’ it up on the court. Many thanks to the rest of the squad for a strong performance throughout.

The team will play its last regular season game next Tuesday at 7:00 pm at the Slaughter Gymnasium. They face their toughest challenge of the season yet, with an opponent consisting of several club basketball players.

The Batten School’s IM soccer team will be playing its third game this Sunday evening at 6:00 pm at the North Grounds Park, following one win and one tie.

Post by Nathan Schelble (Acc. ’12)

Garrett Hall Inauguration and Second Annual Batten Ball

This past Thursday and Friday, the Batten School celebrated the dedication of Garrett Hall with the first annual “Conference on Leadership and Public Policy” and the second annual Batten Ball. The conference featured panels on innovative leadership in global development, the limitations and possibilities of transformational leadership, and the new science of leadership. Panelists included Nicole Bates, senior program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Stephen Skowronek, professor of political and social science at Yale University and expert on the presidency, and Noah Goldstein, assistant professor of human resources and organizational behavior at UCLA.

Thursday evening, the Batten School hosted a community reception in the Colonnade Club with President Teresa Sullivan and the Batten family. Senator Jim Webb delivered the keynote address at lunch on Friday, where the Batten community-at-large gathered for the first time in the Great Room of Garrett Hall. In his address, Senator Webb emphasized the importance of character and vision in leadership.

Over 150 people from the Batten community came to the second annual Batten Ball on Friday night, organized by special events chair Susan Sainz, to celebrate the successful inauguration weekend with food, drinks, and dancing. The Batten Council organized a silent auction, which raised more than $1800 for the Stephanie-Jean Charles Fund; combined with proceeds from the ticket sales, we raised more than $3000 for the fund.

There was competitive bidding over various silent auction items, including an authentic French dinner prepared by Wendy Perry, tickets to the UVA-Duke basketball game, and a wine-tasting tour. Toasts were given by first-year accelerated student Matthias Meyer, first-year post-grad student Nate Daugherty, second-year student Nathan Schelble, and Professor Michael Moore. Many alumni were also present, including Genevieve Heckel (Class of 2011) who conceptualized and planned the first Batten Ball.

In short, it was a lovely evening for students, faculty, and staff to relax, and enjoy each other’s company after the inaugural events. As Nathan Schelble so eloquently reminded us in his toast, the Batten School is about our relationships: “If you care about each other, if you support each other … you can accomplish anything. You can overcome any challenge – even if that challenge is Ed Olsen’s final econ exam.” With a toast to the first years and the bright future of the Batten School ending the inauguration weekend, our community will surely live up to Frank Batten’s vision of enlightened leaders.

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Check out the Cavalier Daily for more coverage on the Garrett Hall inauguration events.

Post by Mary Drach