UVa Dean Visits Wilson Center Students
by:Newest UVa graduate program dean describes public policy curriculum
The Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest has been a fixture on campus for over a decade. During this time, the center has developed several leadership programs, such as the James Madison Public Service Certificate Program. This program is tailored for Hampden-Sydney students who are interested in careers in government agencies, non-profits, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Public Service Program, offered as an academic minor, includes an internship, a major research paper, and about a half dozen classes. One of the required classes for the minor is INDS 375: Leadership and Public Service in Constitutional Context.
As its title suggests, this class gives students an introduction to the relevant historical, legal, and political dimensions of American civil service (i.e., the service responsible for the public administration of the government). The class is taught by Professor Curt Smith, the Myers Distinguished Chair in Public Service and the current Director of the Wilson Center’s Freshmen Leadership Program. Professor Smith has worked extensively in the public sector over the course of his career. He served as director of the Federal Executive Institute (FEI), a Charlottesville-based training center for federal executives, from 1994 to 1998. Prior to his position at FEI, he held several posts with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an independent agency that manages the U.S. civil service. Dr. Smith draws on his practical experience and expertise to augment his teaching and present students with insights relating to public service. For instance, on March 15th at the Wilson Center, Professor Smith’s students got a chance to meet and talk with Dr. Harry Harding, Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
During an hour-long session with students in the Public Service Program, Dr. Harding discussed the Batten School and its approach towards teaching public policy. Established in 2007, the Batten School is the newest school at UVA. Dr. Harding, one of America’s foremost China specialists/scholars, was selected as the school’s founding Dean in January 2009. He previously served as Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution (one of Washington D.C.’s oldest public policy think tanks). Harding intends to develop the Batten School into a competitive and prestigious graduate program. Under his tenure, the school will continue to develop its curriculum, a curriculum centered on the school’s master of public policy (MPP) degree program. This degree is designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in government, the non-profit sector, with consulting firms, and in selected private sector firms.
The Batten School’s approach to public service focuses on policy analysis, with emphasis on leadership skills and professional development. Dr. Harding thinks that this approach, as it develops in future years, will appeal to students considering public policy-related careers. Indeed, he hopes to attract bright students from schools like Hampden-Sydney. Students interested in finding out more about the school’s program(s) can contact Dr. Edith Simms, daughter of H-SC Elliott Professor of History Jim Simms. She serves as the Batten School’s Director of Admissions and Student Affairs, and was kind enough to organize Dr. Harding’s visit to Hampden-Sydney.
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