I am proud and excited to share that 38 prospective first-year students will arrive today to participate in competition for the third cohort in Batten Honors College (November 8-10). We welcomed our first cohort of Batten Honors College students in the fall of 2017 in conjunction with the opening of the Greer Environmental Sciences Center. With the second cohort matriculating this fall, the Batten Honors College has grown to 77 total students. Over the past two years, I've enjoyed watching this dynamic learning community flourish and enrich the campus life of Virginia Wesleyan University. With our award-winning Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the Batten Honors College I am pleased that we now have two very distinctive national-niche programs.
The competition will begin with a welcome reception at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and will continue Friday and Saturday with interviews, campus tours, class visits, and panel discussions. Participating students and their parents will also attend a reception Friday evening at Slover Library in downtown Norfolk. The second part of the competition, which will follow the same format, will occur February 7-9.
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 the 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 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.
Many thanks to all who have worked hard to make this competition a truly special occasion for our participants. Following the competitions, Virginia Wesleyan will host the first Marlins Day Open House of the academic year on Saturday, November 10. Read more here. If you see Batten Honors College competitors or prospective students and families on campus, be sure to give them a warm Wesleyan welcome and wish them well in their pursuits. It is sure to be an exciting few days on campus.
