Frank Batten, Sr.
Businessman.
Media Pioneer.
Philanthropist.
Frank Batten, Sr., was an internationally known businessman and co-founder of the first nationwide, 24-hour cable weather channel, The Weather Channel. His media company, Landmark Media Enterprises, once owned nine daily newspapers, more than 50 weekly newspapers, television stations in Las Vegas and Nashville, and a national chain of classified advertising publications.
After graduating from the University of Virginia and Harvard University, Mr. Batten assumed leadership in 1954 of two newspapers, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, parlaying those papers into a media conglomerate by acquiring other newspapers, radio stations, and television stations. He sold TeleCable in 1995 to TCI for $1 billion and The Weather Channel in 2008 to NBC Universal and two private equity firms for nearly $3.5 billion. Batten was chairman of the Associated Press from 1982 to 1987.
Frank Batten passed away on September 10, 2009.
Jane Parke Batten
Trustee. Visionary.
Champion of Education.
A native of Norfolk and alumna of Hollins University, Jane Parke Batten's interest in Virginia Wesleyan was kindled when her daughter, Betsy, enrolled as a freshman in 1978. Mrs. Batten joined the Board of Trustees in 1981, served as Board Chair from 1995–1998, and became a Trustee Emerita in 2015. As chair, she molded and led a Board that was informed, focused, and challenged to move Virginia Wesleyan forward.
At the conclusion of her term as Chair, Mr. Batten made the lead contribution for the construction of the Jane P. Batten Student Center — a $22 million, state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility that opened in 2002 and remains today as the envy of private colleges in Virginia. Frank Batten was recognized with a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, in 2002. Jane Batten was honored with the Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, in 2006.
Founding the Honors College
In 2015, Mrs. Batten revealed a futuristic collaborative vision for Virginia Wesleyan when she announced a gift to fund a national award-winning 44,000-square-foot environmental sciences center and surrounding gardens. In 2016, Mrs. Batten shared her vision for the establishment of an honors college at Virginia Wesleyan: to prepare academically advanced and socially engaged students to lead society's progressions and institutions with innovative approaches and ethical values that steward an environment threatened by global degradation and climate change.
Mrs. Batten knew that bright, young, and motivated individuals would be the ones to solve the environmental issues of today and the future, and she trusted the Virginia Wesleyan liberal arts education to equip students with the analytical, synthetic, and resolution-oriented skills to address environmental degradation and surmount a plethora of other challenges in the world. The three pillars of the highly selective Batten Honors College focus on the environment, civic engagement, and leadership.
A Legacy of Giving
In addition to the Batten Honors College, the Battens' legacy and generosity at Virginia Wesleyan University includes the Jane P. Batten Student Center, the Batten Professors, the Frank and Jane P. Batten Distinguished Scholar Award for faculty, and 160 endowed Batten Scholarships. Mrs. Batten has also supported numerous capital projects, including The Beacon bell tower (2019), the decorative landscaped entrances to the University (2018), Birdsong Field (2015), and an extensive corrective maintenance project tied to the 10-year Campus Master Plan.
In 2020, she made a gift to fund a collaborative for VWU Global Campus with Lakeland University in Tokyo, Japan. In 2024, Mrs. Batten made a gift to charter the Jane P. Batten & David R. Black School for International Studies — a joint venture of Virginia Wesleyan University and Lakeland University at the collaborative campus in Japan, where over 400 students are now enrolled.
In 2023, Mrs. Batten made a lead gift to establish the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art at Virginia Wesleyan University. Construction on the 35,000-square-foot building started in July 2024, with completion expected in January 2026.
Named in Their Honor
- Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy — UVA
- Frank Batten College of Engineering — ODU
- Batten School of Coastal and Marine Science — William & Mary
- Jane P. Batten Student Center — Batten University
- Jane P. Batten Honors College — Batten University
- Greer Environmental Sciences Center — Batten University
Civic Leadership
- E3: Elevate Early Education
- Slover Library Foundation
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Hampton Roads Community Foundation
- 2014 Darden Award for Regional Leadership
- 2013 Most Influential Virginians — Virginia Business
- Norfolk Cosmopolitan Distinguished Service Award (2010)
- Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges honoree (2024)
The family's leadership continues to assure Virginia Wesleyan's place among the top private liberal arts colleges in the country. The Battens have three children: Dorothy, Betsy, and Frank, Jr.