William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & Virginia Institute of Marine Science embarked on a new chapter last week, welcoming their inaugural class of undergraduate majors.
Eleven students make up the first cohort, officially launching the coastal and marine sciences program. This program will include both classroom and field and research components. It is backed by full tuition support from a $50 million donation from Dr. R. Todd Stravitz and the Brunckhorst Foundations.
“This new cohort of undergraduate majors will have unparalleled opportunities, learning side by side with our scientists as they tackle real-world challenges facing our oceans and coastal communities,” said Derek Aday, dean of the Batten School and director of VIMS.
The program is the first undergraduate major in coastal and marine sciences at a Virginia public university. The majority of students in this first class are in-state students.
Students will take part in an immersion semeste...