Hollins has accepted a challenge from philanthropist and alumna Jane Parke Batten '58 of Norfolk to raise $5 million by December 2013 in order to receive a matching grant of the same amount.

Successfully meeting the challenge will enhance the funding of scholarships for students who wish to attend Hollins and participate in the university's Batten Leadership Institute; scholarships for current Hollins students who want to earn a Certificate in Leadership Studies; and scholarships for other deserving students.

"This challenge exemplifies the Battens' tremendous generosity and strong commitment to supporting women's education and leadership opportunities," said President Nancy Gray. "If we meet the challenge, Jane's own gift will be added to the Batten Scholars endowment, which celebrates academic achievement by providing scholarship awards up to and including full tuition, for our most outstanding students."

The Batten family has had a close relationship with Hollins for more than 80 years. Dorothy Martin, the mother of Jane Batten's late husband, Frank (who served as chairman and CEO of Landmark Communications, Inc., from 1967 to 1998), attended Hollins in the early 1920s; Jane Batten is a member of the Class of 1958; and the Battens' daughter, Dorothy, graduated in 1985. Frank Batten served three terms on the Hollins Board of Trustees between 1969 and 1991.

Frank and Jane Batten gave $2 million to Hollins in 1995 to establish the Batten Scholars program, and in 2002, they funded the creation of the Batten Leadership Institute, which provides a diverse array of initiatives that focus on students' personal, interpersonal, and intellectual development; four years later they gave Hollins $2 million to further endow the Institute, and in 2008 added a $3 million gift to support its mission. In 2003, the Battens gave Hollins over $2.2 million to fund an endowed chair in leadership.

"The Battens have made an enormous impact on Hollins, and I am confident this challenge will inspire others over the next three and a half years to help make a difference in the lives of young women," Gray said.