The College of William & Mary (W&M) has announced a $50 million gift from alumnus R. Todd Stravitz (’82) and his family’s Brunckhorst foundations in support of scholarships for undergraduates pursuing degrees in coastal and marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point, Virginia.

The award from Stravitz—a gastroenterologist in Richmond, Virginia—and the Brunckhorst (Melville, New York) and Barbara Brunckhorst (Richmond) foundations to the VIMS Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences coincides with the launch of the school’s undergraduate interdisciplinary degree program in coastal and marine sciences, which will welcome its first cohort in the fall of 2025. The largest scholarship gift ever to W&M—described as the first of its kind nationally—will provide full tuition for students.

“This gift removes financial barriers, allowing the brightest minds to access the learning and tools needed to address our planet’s urgent problems,” said William & Mary president Katherine A. Rowe. “These future trailblazers will craft solutions that safeguard ecosystems, economies, and the communities that depend on them around the globe.”

“When I was a student, a degree like this didn’t exist, and I want to create the pathway for today’s students to experience the best of William & Mary so they are prepared for the greatest challenges of their generation,” said Stravitz. “Our best hope for solving the environmental crises we face is educating young people to care for and improve our planet.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/ktaylorg)