Virginia Wesleyan to Become Batten University | Virginia Beach News

Virginia Wesleyan University is officially becoming Batten University on July 1st, honoring decades of Batten family philanthropy — a move approved unanimously by the board in August 2025. But not everyone’s on board: alumni and locals are staging a protest Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., calling it a symbolic “funeral” for the old name, while a petition with over 6,400 signatures seeks to stop the rebrand. The university stands firm, but the debate is far from over as the name change coincides with new museum openings and potential health sciences integration. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/39020054e8a00464