UVA, Darden Plan Pre- and Post-Election Events for Students and Community

This story was updated with post-election content on 9 November

With the 2020 U.S. election in just a week, on Tuesday, 3 November, the University of Virginia and Darden School of Business are planning a number of election-related educational events for students, faculty, staff and other members of the community.

Darden’s Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host a post-election dialogue for the student and staff community centered on bringing people together to process the personal ramifications of the election for members of the community.

In the full-time MBA student-led Business & Public Policy Club will host a cold call on 29 October for full-time MBA students to raise awareness of issues and candidates that will be on the ballot on election day. The club also plans to host an election night watch party for students and a post-election panel assessing what the election results mean moving forward.

UVA’s Miller Center is hosting a series of public pre-election events that will explore both questions related to the current election and critical moments in American political history, including:

• The Home Stretch: Election 2020 One Week Out, 27 October — UVA Lifetime Learning hosts the Miller Center’s Bill Antholis, Mary Kate Cary and Ann Compton in a conversation moderated by Paul Freedman of the UVA politics department to look at the polls, issues, controversies and questions heading into the final week of the 2020 presidential election. Register
• Presidential Leadership and Race, 29 October — A national reckoning with racial justice has made the issue a central theme in the 2020 presidential election. This program examines what lessons past presidencies may hold and how the current administration’s policies and rhetoric compare. Register
• Election 2020: What Just Happened?, 4 November — On the day after the 2020 presidential election, three Miller Center experts will examine the results by looking at exit polling and analyzing state data to see what it reveals about the electorate. Which issues seemed to dominate? Where were the critical districts that decided the election? Register

The UVA Contemplative Sciences Center and the Department of Religious Studies are hosting an online community event, Post-Election Day Pause For Students: A Virtual Space for Contemplation, Discussion and Reflective Listening on Wednesday, 4 November, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with contemplative practices offered every 30 minutes to ground a series of reflective discussions.

The UVA Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost is also maintaining a list of academically focused events occurring before, during and after the election.

The most important way to engage in the election, of course, is to vote, and the UVA Center for Politics provides an extensive resource of voting information, how to make a voting plan and how to get involved.

For thought leadership on presidents, policymaking and politics, Darden Ideas to Action hosts insights from a number of leading experts, including a collection on Business and Public Policy and research from University Professor and Darden Dean Emeritus Bob Bruner. Bruner’s work with the Miller Center and examining the archives of past presidents has resulted in a catalogue of essential reading, including:

• “Leading Through Crisis: Lessons From Past US Presidents”
• “Work in the US: The Tenuous Present and Uncertain Future”
• “A US Presidential Leadership Lesson: Optimism”
• “In Case of Financial Crisis: Counsel for the Next President”

UVA Provides Insights and Analysis of Election Results

UVA Today has published a number of articles considering multiple aspects of the unique 2020 election cycle and results, including:

• “What Just Happened? UVA Scholars Delve Into Election Results“
• “What 2020 Election Results Tell Us About America’s Growing Urban-Rural Divide“
• “What the Exit Polls Are Telling Us“
• “Q&A: Presidency Expert Discusses Recount Chances, Historial Precedent“

This story will be updated as additional election events, event details and coverage emerge.