VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A day after officials at Virginia Wesleyan University announced the school will change its name effective next July 1, a petition opposing the change is circulating with nearly 2,000 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.
Virginia Wesleyan University to be renamed Batten University
The 64-year old institution will become Batten University in honor of Frank and Jane Batten.
“The Board of Trustees of Virginia Wesleyan voted unanimously in February of 2025 to change the name to Batten University in recognition of the visionary philanthropist and her family, who have been so impactful to the life and the programming of this institution,” VWU president ScottMiller said, “most particularly over the last 10 years, but dating back to 1978, when Jane and Frank Batten’s daughter Mary enrolled here as a student.”
Devin Cowhey, who graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 2010, said there was no notice or buzz among the alumni that the name change was coming…