As the College of William and Mary heads into the new academic year, two new schools are on the horizon in recents efforts to expand the institution.
Wednesday, July 24, the College announced that philanthropist Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 donated $100 million, establishing the Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences. The gift is the largest in the College’s history.
With this expansion, the College will begin awarding the Bachelor of Science degree in marine science, the first for a public institution in Virginia.
“It’s the [James] River, it’s the [Chesapeake] Bay, it’s the ocean, it’s our coastline,” Batten said to The Flat Hat, noting that her philanthropy has been centered mostly on education and environmental issues. “Something like 40% of the population in the U.S. live in coastal zones and they’re all under the gun for these changes, particularly the sea level rise problem, it’s an environmental issue, it’s an economic development issue.”
Batten also alluded to Norfolk’s role in the U.S. military.
“Here in Hampton Roads, it’s very much a national security issue,” Batten said. “We have the largest naval base in the world in Norfolk, and a lot of its infrastructure is totally out of date and not prepared to deal with these changes.”
College President Katherine Rowe announced the donation Wednesday, June 24 in an email to the school.
“I am grateful to Mrs. Batten for her trust in William & Mary and our mission,” Rowe wrote. “She has challenged alumni, friends, philanthropists and policy-makers to join her in supporting the school’s groundbreaking education and research. William & Mary has set a goal to raise at least another $100 million to realize our vision for the school.”
The announcement was also made in-person at the College’s board of visitors summer meeting. Several dignitaries attended the ceremony, including U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine LL.D. ’06.
The College first announced the creation of the marine science major at a board of visitors meeting in April. Board of visitors student representative Gwen Galleher ’24 said at the time that as an admissions interviewer, many prospective students have expressed their interest in pursuing marine science at the College.
In addition to the Batten School, the College announced that the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia approved its plan for a new school in Computing, Data Sciences and Physics.
“I appreciate SCHEV’s shared commitment to preparing broadly educated, forward-thinking citizens and professionals,” Rowe said. “The jobs of tomorrow belong to those prepared to solve tomorrow’s problems. Machine learning, AI, computational modeling — these are essential modes of critical thinking and core to a liberal arts education in the 21st century.”
According to the announcement, the four academic areas are already experiencing strong growth in external investment with over $9 million in 2023, as well as in student numbers. Master’s students enrolled in the new school represented a third of all Arts and Sciences master’s students. This proportion rises to almost two-thirds when considering doctoral programs.
Students applying to the undergraduate level will not directly apply to the school. Similar to the Raymond A. Mason School of Business’ current model, second-year students in good academic standing can obtain admission if they meet the criteria established by the school and their intended major. Students will also continue to have the opportunity to double major or minor in areas offered by other College programs.
Looking ahead, Batten hopes that her efforts will be joined by others.
“I’m hoping that this will be a very strong public private partnership, with support from the state and from the federal government, because this is a national and international issue,” Batten said.