University President John T. Casteen, III announced Friday that Harry Harding will serve as the founding dean of the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.
“The dean in a sense defines a new school,” Casteen said, adding that “Harding has a wonderful opportunity.”
Though Harding is new to the University, he is no stranger to the spheres of leadership, public policy and education, Casteen said. Throughout his career, Harding has been “vigorously involved” in international affairs and education, Casteen added.
“[Harding] comes with an exceptional record,” University Provost Arthur Garson said. Garson explained that this record includes an education at Princeton and Stanford, the briefing of President Clinton and the White House Press Corps, extensive teaching positions and a deanship at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.
“Recruiting someone with a tremendous reputation was important to all the deans,” Garson said, adding that Harding “brings a spirit of collaboration from George Washington that is widely known.”
College Dean Meredith Woo said she looks forward to a close interaction between the Batten School and the College during Harding’s administration.
“The fact that he understands completely the enterprise [of arts and sciences is] something we all can celebrate about,” said Woo, who was enthused that Harding “understands the research mission that will be most fruitful in the collaboration between the two units.”
Of the three leading candidates for the position, fourth-year College student Ethan Carroll found Harding to be the most capable, largely because of his experience at the Elliott School of International Affairs.
“We’ve so far in Batten been trying to find a balance between domestic and foreign policy,” fourth-year College and Batten student Caitlin Gearen said. “I think he has a great vision for that.”
As dean, Harding said he intends to take an integrated approach to the traditionally separate realms of domestic and global public policy and weave those fields into a single curriculum.
He said he also aims to teach students leadership as “one of [the] key skills for success in areas of public policy,” and prepare students for service as skilled professionals in all levels of government and the private sector.
The Batten School dean’s position is unique in that Harding and his colleagues will be “basically putting together — at a graduate level — a curriculum that does not exist,” Harding said, because the school has no precedent at the University.
“This dean has to build a faculty, and that will take a long time,” said fifth-year Batten student Nick Feucht, noting that Harding “must know that he wants to be here for a long time.”
According to a University press release, Harding will be expected to perform many duties during his first year. He must review programs, develop a master’s degree program and organize the school’s faculty. Additionally, he must recruit students and “encourage creation of research centers and programs on key areas of public policy,” the release states.
Aiding Harding in accomplishing his duties is the significant pool of resources allotted to the Batten School. The Batten School, Harding said, was “very generously endowed,” with a $100 million donation from Frank Batten, Sr., who graduated from the College in 1950. Those funds allowed the creation of the school — the first new school at the University in more than 50 years — in the first place.
“It took a little bit of guts [to apply for the program],” fifth-year Batten student Katie Meyer said, especially because the concept of a leadership and public policy school is a new one.
“There’s some stability from having an actual, official leader,” Meyer added, saying that she hopes Harding will attract more candidates to the program.
Other students expressed similar satisfaction with the University’s appointment of a dean.
“Having a dean makes me feel really confident in the future of the school,” Gearen said. “He seems to be a great leader for the program.”
Vice Rector of the University Board of Visitors and longtime colleague of Batten, John Wynne, agreed Batten himself “would be gratified that his dream is moving to reality and offer support to our new dean.”
With this new beginning, Casteen welcomed Harding to the University.
“We take pleasure in entrusting the Batten School and its students to you,” Casteen said.
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