A crowd of more than 400 Virginia Wesleyan University faculty members, administrators, supporters, and alumni erupted into a standing ovation as board of trustees chair Nancy DeFord announced the Virginia Beach school was getting a new moniker in July: Batten University.
The change, DeFord told guests, was an ode to the ongoing and titanic generosity of trustee emerita Jane Batten. She and her late husband, Frank—who co-founded The Weather Channel and owned one of the largest private media companies in the U.S. until 2008—hailed from coastal Virginia and have given a minimum of $120 million to the university since 1981. Their endowments also provide support for eight distinguished professorships, 80 full-ride scholarships, and 80 three-quarter scholarships annually. Flagship initiatives included a push from 2015–2025 that created a new environmental sciences center, a school for international studies, and a collaborative campus in Tokyo. The campaign also helped relocate the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art into a stunning new 38,000-square-foot, on-campus facility that will open later this spring.
“Over the past decade, this institution has undergone extraordinary transformation,” DeFord told guests at the August 2025 event. The Batten family’s ongoing philanthropic support has enabled VWU to expand its “academic reach, strengthen our community partnerships, extend our global presence, and embrace innovation in every facet of the university. The Battens’ legacy is woven into the very fabric of this university.”
The Batten name “elevates our visibility and reputation,” wrote university leadership in a statement. “It is distinctive and free of the confusion often associated with ‘Wesleyan,’ and it aligns us with a philanthropic family whose leadership and values are widely respected.”
The statement went on to say that the “clarity strengthens our standing in national and international markets, helping us attract more students, donors, and partners.” VWU.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Virginia Wesleyan University. This article originally appeared in the April 2026 issue.
