"It’s always a challenge for the first dean of a new school to realize the founding benefactor’s vision. Frank Batten envisioned a school of public policy focused intently on leadership. Harry Harding has secured that vision by establishing a school at the heart of Grounds, one that is guided by cutting-edge research on leadership and brings together students and faculty from across the University to address 21st-century public policy challenges. This all builds squarely on Jefferson’s own founding vision that the University would create and disseminate ‘useful knowledge’ that provides the educational foundation for our nation’s future leaders.”
“Harry Harding has provided outstanding guidance in building a rock-solid foundation for the teaching of leadership in all aspects of public life. You truly can ‘lead from anywhere,’ and that is what the Batten School, under Dean Harding, is doing superbly.”
“I quickly learned that every conversation with Dean Harding was going to end with a string of questions about what the Batten School was doing right and what we could do better. I was impressed not that he asked, but that he engaged with the responses he received, by turns challenging and exploring whatever feedback I or others provided. Dean Harding took his students seriously, and he demanded that we take our opportunity to help shape the course of the Batten School seriously, as well. That was something I appreciated while I was in Charlottesville, and one of the first things I tell people when I talk about Batten today.”
“Under Dean Harding’s leadership, the Batten School has established a strong presence in the commonwealth and in Washington. It is known for its dedication to public service, serious scholarship and engagement with the crucial issues of our time.”
“The excitement and vision that our Founding Dean, Harry Harding, brought to the Batten School was one of the big things that attracted me to the School. That initial level of excitement has continued to build during the three years that I have been here, and, under the wise guidance of Dean Harding, we are well on the way to becoming one of the world’s premier schools training the next generation of public policy leaders.”
—CHRIS RUHM (ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS)
“Dean Harding has made alumni feel as if they never left. He has that rare ability to speak to you with deep respect—even though he’s of superior intellect and wisdom—as if you are a peer. He engaged with all of us to ensure we would remain a part of the community wherever life takes us. He considered us students for life; he knew that we would look to him as a teacher, always. He leads by example. And as a result, his leadership will be ingrained into the school, and its students, forever.”
—LOGAN PUGH (MPP ’09)
“Dean Harding is an excellent professor, mentor, and dean to all students. He teaches the next generation of leaders how to critically assess the changing context of public policy and find innovative ways to resolve complex issues, utilize opportunities, and create success.”
“Under the inventive and energetic leadership of Dean Harding, the Batten School has emerged as one of the most dynamic public policy schools in the nation. The Batten School’s investment in psychology as a key complement to economics and political science has attracted broad attention. Yet perhaps most distinctive is the way Batten is combining the analytical rigor of a public policy education with an emphasis on teaching students the leadership and advocacy skills they need to tackle the domestic and global challenges of the 21st century. Few new schools have accomplished so much, so quickly.”