A former member of the Virginia Wesleyan University Alumni Council says she was forcibly removed from the council after making public statements regarding the university’s name change to Batten University.

Kim Mayo, who was two years into her three-year term on the council, said she was unaware she had been removed from the group until Oct. 14 — about two months after the Batten University announcement. Other alumni had asked Mayo why her name had been taken off the council’s website, so she then reached out to the school’s administration to learn why.

In an email response to Mayo, Kelly Cordova, chief of staff for the school’s vice president for strategic initiatives, said Mayo had given a “de facto resignation” because of her public comments about the school’s name change.

“I was kind of flabbergasted,” Mayo said.

The university did not respond to a request for comment from The Virginian-Pilot about the decision.

In August, the university announced it would officially change its name from Virginia Wesleyan University to Batten University, named for the family of Jane and Frank Batten, donors for the school and former owners of The Virginian-Pilot. The university’s Board of Trustees had unanimously voted to change the name earlier in the year, and the announcement came as a surprise to almost everyone in attendance of the school’s State of the University. Those who did not attend found out through social media or news reports.

After the announcement, alumni and other university community members expressed concerns about the change, mainly with how the process took place and how it was announced. Others did not want to remove the school’s religious history or affiliation from its official title. A petition protesting the change had garnered more than 5,000 signatures within a week of the announcement.

Mayo, a 1998 graduate, was one of those concerned alumni. She spoke publicly to The Pilot in August about her concerns. At the time, Mayo said she and other alumni felt “powerless” amid the name change process and ultimately disrespected. She said her role on the council was to “not to be a mouthpiece for the current administration, but to represent alumni from near and far.”

Following her dismissal from the council, Mayo said she was unaware of any policy that would have prevented her from speaking publicly about the decision.

The university’s website says the council’s purpose is to “strengthen the bond between graduates and Virginia Wesleyan University,” including relationships with students, faculty, administration and Board of Trustees. The group typically has between 15 and 30 members, who come from a variety of industries and generations. Members are typically nominated to join the council, and once chosen, can serve two consecutive three-year terms. Members can rejoin after one year of being a non-member.

In a statement released in September, the university said it would take time to build trust in the new name.

“For many, it feels like something important has been taken away,” the statement read. “Virginia Wesleyan will forever be a part of who we are. We understand that many of (alumni) are grieving. This is normal and expected. It means that you care, and we are grateful that you care. We respect the passion you have for Virginia Wesleyan. And we are deeply grateful for the role you have played, and continue to play, in building the foundation for the University’s future.”

In the weeks since the announcement, a handful of protests have been held outside the school’s gates, including a ‘No-home homecoming’ event, and at least one other Alumni Council member formally resigned. Mayo said she will continue to support the school’s athletics — she was a student athlete while at VWU — but the situation has left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Will it deter me from being very involved? Probably,” she said. “I mean, why would I go spend a lot of time volunteering, or what have you, on the campus with that current administration there?”

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/14/vwu-alum-kicked-out-council/