Alumnus expresses his thoughts on the university’s name change.
John Wesley wasn’t exactly a saint. He built his movement by shaming followers for hours, breaking them down emotionally and then offering salvation as the only way out. To be fair, he did advocate for the poor and disenfranchised; establishing schools, clinics and outreach programs — but all of it was tied to conversion and strict adherence to Methodist discipline. Help came with strings attached.
Two hundred years later, universities bearing his name operate on a similar model: prestige, belonging and access in exchange for money. The difference? The Batten family invests voluntarily and transparently, funding programs that actually benefit students.
Testimonials on the alumni “Stop Batten University” petition reveal the real problem: alumni clinging to nostalgia and moralizing about wealth, even though most contribute only modestly relative to the scale of gifts that sustain the university. If you aren’t funding the school at a level that shapes its future, you have limited standing to dictate who does — or who gets naming rights. Wesley sold salvation; the university sells education. Both were transactions dressed in morality.
We graduated, we have our diplomas and this isn’t our school anymore. Move on.
– Brian Cornell ‘14
