WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary will soon establish its brand new Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences thanks to a generous $100 million gift.
Philanthropist Jane Batten, who didn't attend the college but received honorary degrees from the university, is gifting the school $100 million to help lead the way in the research of coastal and marine science education. The school will be named after her.
Batten's vision for the new program is for it, along with the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS), to become the "premier destination" for creating solutions to the threats coastal communities face with rising sea levels, increased storm intensity and flooding, loss of agricultural land and impaired water quality.
“William & Mary has long been at the vanguard of research tackling urgent local, national and international challenges. No institution is better positioned to address global change,” President Katherine Rowe said in a release from the University earlier this week.
“By investing in bold ideas and new partnerships, the Batten School will power ‘science for solutions’ for Virginia and the world.”
Batten is now calling on the global community to help support the research and solutions that this grant is expected to provide in the future.
“This gift propels us forward toward great promise and progress,” Batten said in a statement. “I am confident that it will spark significant change, building resilience in coastal communities in the Commonwealth and across the globe for generations to come.”
William & Mary has set a goal of raising at least another $100 million from state, federal and private sources to complete its vision for the new program. Batten said she views her gift as just the start.
“I’m calling on fellow philanthropists, government leaders, alumni and friends to join me in taking action,” Batten added. “I’ve always believed that philanthropy is not just something you should do, it is something that is a privilege to do. I’m privileged to be able to give to something that will be a game-changer for the world.”
The $100 million donation is the largest monetary gift ever given to a university for a school dedicated to coastal and marine sciences, according to the press release from William & Mary. The college stated it is also the largest gift in its 331-year history.