The College of William & Mary (W&M) in Williamsburg, Virginia, has announced a $100 million gift from local philanthropist Jane Batten to transform its School of Coastal & Marine Sciences at the public university’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS).

This largest gift in W&M’s 331-year history—and the largest single gift to a university for a school dedicated to coastal and marine sciences—will enable the school to better address the accelerating effects of climate change, including the deterioration of ecological, economic, and social stability in coastal communities and marine systems. According to W&M, 3.2 billion people around the world, including five million who live in coastal regions of Virginia—more than half of the state’s population—will be directly affected by these looming systemic changes.

The school—to be renamed after Batten, whose husband, the late Frank Batten, served as a trustee of the university in the 1990s and was a co-founder of the Weather Channel—is located on the VIMS campus along the York River in Gloucester Point, Virginia, surrounded by wetlands, marshes, and the coastal waters of Chesapeake Bay. The university aims to raise an additional $100 million from state, federal, and private sources to realize its vision for the school.

“We have a geographical advantage, expertise advantage, and historical presence in this area,” said VIMS director and Batten School dean Derek Aday. “With this unprecedented gift, we will not only advance critical research and inform policy but also train the next generation of scientists, thought leaders, and engaged citizens, preparing them to navigate the complexities of global change in this century.”

“This gift propels us forward toward great promise and progress,” said Batten. “I am confident that it will spark significant change, building resilience in coastal communities in the commonwealth and across the globe for generations to come.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ymn)