The road from Batten’s Garrett Hall to the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. takes just a few hours. But students arriving in the capitol quickly learn that the environment is far removed from what they’ve experienced on Grounds. For second-year Master of Pub-lic Policy (MPP) students in professor Gerald Warburg’s Congress 101: Leadership Strategies class, the Capitol Hill trip that caps off the semester provides an insider look into policymaking and life on the Hill.

“It does empower our current students to visualize how quickly they can get from the Batten School to a responsible policymaking job in Congress,” said Warburg, Professor of Practice of Public Policy and the guide for the meeting with legislators and staff members. “No day in the classroom can make that point more viscerally than meeting with the alums at work on Capitol Hill and having them host us.”

One of the students’ hosts during the most recent class trip was Batten graduate Cara Mumford, who finished her master’s degree in 2017 and is a staff assistant on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Its chair is the veteran Arizona Republican John McCain.

“I’m very lucky,” Mumford said of her position. Batten taught her to “frame an issue in a certain way, to interact with people so that the larger message can be heard, and to communicate effectively with the staff, the public, and the various congressional members. Our Batten classes do a really good job of exposing students to that type of environment, especially when they bring students up for the Hill visit.”

“They get to meet with the representatives and senators themselves,” as well as staff members, “and they can get the experience of how to approach an issue, based on whom you’re talking to. National defense is important to everyone—everybody has a vested interest in it—yet there is the challenge of learning to how communicate between the (military) services effectively, learning how to communicate among the other members of the committee. My time at Batten helped to prepare me for that.”

For student West Connors, the Hill experience came just a few months after an internship in Virginia senator Mark Warner’s office.

“Since I worked on the Hill, I’m excited to be back. It’s also where I want to work next year,” Connors said.

Connors especially appreciated the meetings with Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the former Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee, and his chief of staff, Mike Henry.

Students also met with four members of Congress: Republicans Tom Garrett Jr. and Rob Wittman, and Democrats Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer. Congressman Dave Brat had to miss a scheduled meeting due to back-to-back House floor votes.

“It was excellent to see two Republicans and two Democrats, and get perspectives from both,” Connors said.

Such scheduling is intentional, Warburg said. “We feel very strongly about making sure a number of different political persuasions are heard in our classrooms. We are trying to empower students to do fact based policy analysis, then articulate their own positions, their own political views, and their own values and ideals.”

Batten alum Connor Maxwell, who received his MPP degree in 2017, also met with students. He works for the Center for American Progress.

“As a research associate, I research, write, and engage with the media and coalition members on a wide range of domestic policy issues impacting marginalized communities. This includes, but is not limited to, voting rights, criminal justice, healthcare and higher education,” Maxwell said.

He has past experience working on criminal justice and civil rights issues through internships at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the ACLU, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Maxwell also served as a graduate teaching assistant for Warburg and Batten’s Craig Volden, Professor of Public Policy and Politics and Director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking, during his time at Batten.

Like Mumford, Maxwell benefitted from the Washington, D.C. education a year ago.

“This is a valuable experience for anyone interested in working on federal policy; it provides a window into the world of legislating,” Maxwell said. “During my class visit to Congress last year when I was a Batten student, I found the congressmen and senators surprisingly honest and open to tough questions. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn as much as you can about the tough issues of the day, the political battles, discussion about reform of the legislative process, and efforts to bridge the partisan divide.”

Batten alum Molly Cole, a 2011 MPP graduate, is also a policy advocate, but one who works within a congressman’s office: Democrat Gerry Connolly.

Asked to describe her day, Cole noted its breadth: “My job is to advise the Congressman on any issue that falls within my portfolio, which includes not only foreign affairs, but also homeland security, judiciary, trade, defense and veterans affairs.”

Cole cited the value of her Batten education in preparing her for her current work.

“Batten taught me how to write for a policymaker, gave me a community that has evolved into a network, and inspired me to cultivate my own leadership skills. I deeply appreciate my time at Batten and treasure my bonds with members of the Batten community. However, some things you can only learn by doing, and the Hill has a steep learning curve.”

Maxwell agreed, saying, “I can think of no better preparation for the work I’m doing now than the Batten curriculum. I’m especially grateful for Batten’s ‘48-hour project,’ which requires students to learn a completely unfamiliar policy issue in 48 hours, while still completing their other assignments. The 48-hour project taught me how to quickly locate the most important information for a given public policy problem, weigh options, and present solutions in a clear and concise format. My ability to do this work calmly and efficiently is a direct result of the training I received at the Batten School."