Philanthropist and higher education advocate Jane Parke Batten will be the guest speaker at Hollins University’s 166^th Commencement on Sunday, May 18, 2008.

    The family of Mrs. Batten and her husband Frank, retired chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, Inc., in Norfolk, has enjoyed a close relationship with Hollins that dates back more than 80 years. Mr. Batten’s mother, Dorothy Martin, attended Hollins in the early 1920s; Jane Batten is a member of the Class of 1958; and their daughter, Dorothy, graduated from Hollins in 1985.

   Jane and Frank Batten have helped transform Hollins with their generosity. They gave $2 million to Hollins in 1995 to fund the Batten Scholars program, which celebrates academic achievement by providing scholarship awards up to and including full tuition, and financial aid for individual research and creative projects. In recognition of their support, the Battens received the Hollins Medal in 1999, awarded “for distinction, service to Hollins University and to women’s life and education in general.”

    Through their inspiration, support and personal interest, the Battens helped launch the innovative Batten Leadership Institute in 2002. The Institute provides rigorous co-curricular programs that focus on students’ personal, interpersonal, and intellectual development. They further endowed the program with a $2 million gift in 2006.

    In 2003, Jane and Frank Batten presented Hollins with a gift of over $2.2 million to fund an endowed chair in leadership.

    Along with her dedication to Hollins, Mrs. Batten has been a trustee of Virginia Wesleyan College since 1981 and was chair of their board. She is a director of the Alison J. & Ella W. Parsons Foundation and is on the board of directors of the Virginia Beach Foundation. She served on the board of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges until 1999.


Commencement Photos

Arrangements have been made with two professional photographers to record the moment seniors are awarded their diplomas. The images will be uploaded to our online photo store approximately one week after Commencement. Photographs can be viewed and ordered in a variety of sizes.

Schedule