Message from the Dean & Director
For nearly a century, VIMS has been providing science for solutions to the Commonwealth of Virginia and to coastal communities around the nation and world. As one of the largest and most respected marine research and education centers in the country, VIMS is unique among its peers. As both a school of William & Mary (the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences) and a stand-alone advisory agency for the commonwealth, we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve, including 5 million Virginians, 125 million Americans, and billions of global coastal citizens. Our unique history, reputation, expertise, and resources position us to be a global leader in solutions-based science for policy makers, industry, and the public.
This is an exciting time at the Batten School & VIMS. On the heels of a recently completed, visionary strategic plan that positions our school and institute at the nexus of ecological, social, and economic factors that underpin life in coastal communities, we received two transformational gifts: a $100,000,000 naming gift from philanthropist Jane Batten and a $50,000,000 scholarship gift from Dr. Todd Stravitz and the Brunkhorst Foundations. The Batten gift – the largest of its kind to any school of coastal and marine sciences, and the largest in the university’s history – provides resources to transform our campus, expand and increase the influence of our science and educational programs, and enhance our public outreach and engagement. The Stravitz gift – the largest scholarship gift in university history – will provide full tuition scholarships to all Coastal & Marine Sciences majors at William & Mary’s Batten School in perpetuity. These gifts reflect the strong and unique influence we have on coastal communities and marine systems and the trust that our partners and supporters have in our work. We’ve also recently launched a new professional master’s degree and this fall will invite our first Coastal & Marine Sciences undergraduate majors to campus. With these new gifts and outstanding additions to our education program, we are positioned to be global leaders in the development and maintenance of resilient coastal systems, the training of future science leaders, and the translation of cutting-edge science for policy and decision makers.
We stand at the precipice of life-altering change for coastal communities in Virginia and around the world. Global change is accelerating and existential issues related to flooding, storm preparedness, sustainable seafood, and water quality make the work that we do at the Batten School and VIMS more important now than ever. Whether – and how effectively – we pull back from the edge will depend not only on the outstanding scientific and educational outcomes we produce, but also on the partnerships and support that sustain our work and advance our solutions. I invite you to join us on this important journey at this critical period in the history of our institute, nation, and world.
-Dr. D. Derek Aday