Schar School Featured Stories

Kennedy Solomon: Meet the 2014 Master of Public Policy graduate who has landed an important position at a major advocacy firm.

Schar School faculty continue to shape public policy, global affairs, and social innovation through a wide range of new and forthcoming publications. Recent books explore topics including U.S. and global urban governance, European integration, Indo-Pacific security, East Asian international relations, Chinese foreign policy, religion and U.S. politics, scientific public engagement, disability and entrepreneurship, and comparative party politics. Together, these works reflect the Schar School’s interdisciplinary strengths and its faculty’s ongoing contributions to scholarly research, teaching, and public discourse.

Migrants are vital to the world order yet are often vilified. In an op-ed, a Schar School sophomore suggests movement is resistance and mobility is justice.

For first-year Schar School student Bora Yoon, identity and advocacy are inseparable. As a woman, a person of color, a child of immigrants, and an LGBTQ+ student, she says her story fuels her drive to pursue political study—and to fight for equity for everyone.

New research led by Schar School Associate Professor Jennifer Victor challenges the common belief that low youth voter turnout stems from apathy. Working alongside undergraduate researchers over several election cycles, Victor found that young voters face logistical barriers—from multiple or temporary addresses to confusion about state-by-state rules—that make participation difficult, not undesirable.

Winners, runners-up, and elections experts break down the good and the bad about the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election and provide insight as to what lies ahead for the new governor, Abigail Spanberger.

As a principal architect of the incoming administration’s transition, Schar School Professor of Practice David Ramadan will play a pivotal role in ensuring Governor-elect Spanberger and Lieutenant Governor-elect Hashmi are fully prepared to govern from the moment they take the oath on Inauguration Day.

What happened around the state on Election Day 2025? Who won and why? Schar School veteran politicians Terry McAuliffe and David Ramadan took the Fuse stage to explain it all.

The Schar School hosted its flagship “15 Minutes with POTUS” competition, drawing exceptional undergraduates from universities nationwide to Mason Square for a high-pressure national security briefing simulation. Featuring distinguished judges and extensive professional development opportunities, the event highlights the school’s commitment to preparing future leaders for real-world policymaking.

Is it possible to rewrite the Constitution for a younger generation of Americans? Three Schar School students attended a multifaceted program called Declaration Next at the University of Virginia and did just that.