I
am proud and excited to share that 32 prospective freshmen will arrive
in Coastal Virginia today to participate in the first of our two-part
Batten Honors College competition (February 8-10). We welcomed our first
cohort of Batten Honors College
students last fall in conjunction with the opening of the Greer
Environmental Sciences Center, two prominent additions that have secured
a national niche for Virginia Wesleyan University in the natural
sciences.
The competition will begin with a welcome reception at
the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and will continue
Friday and Saturday with various interviews, campus tours, class visits,
and panel discussions. Participating students and their parents will
also attend a reception at Slover Library in downtown Norfolk. The
second part of the competition, which will follow the same format, will
occur February 15-17.
Twenty students will be selected to receive
the Batten Fellowship, a prestigious scholarship renewable for four
years and covering the full amount of tuition plus funding for an
international study-away experience during their junior or senior year.
The Batten Honors College will also recognize the academic merit and
leadership potential of an additional 20 Shumadine Scholars, who will
receive scholarships equal to two-thirds tuition. This selective
academic program is made possible by generous support from Virginia
Wesleyan University Trustee Emerita Jane P. Batten H’06 and her late
husband, Frank Batten, Sr.
Through small class sizes,
personalized instruction and especially vigorous faculty-student
interaction, the Batten Honors College is designed to prepare impactful
leaders and environmental stewards. The curriculum explores diverse
disciplines within the natural sciences, humanities, social sciences,
and mathematics. Our goal is to educate and graduate lifelong learners
interested in shaping the future and taking action to improve the world.
It
is sure to be an exciting few days here on our campus. Many thanks to
all who have worked hard to make this competition a truly special
occasion for our participants. If you see Batten Honors College
competitors on campus, be sure to give them a warm Wesleyan welcome and
wish them well in their pursuits.
