Hollins bested 14 other collegiate teams from across the commonwealth to win the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges’ (VFIC) 24th annual Ethics Bowl, January 28-29.

The victorious Hollins Ethics Bowl team is pictured with President Mary Dana Hinton (third from left); Jane Batten ‘58 (second from left), a devoted believer in both Hollins and the Ethics Bowl; and Allison Goguen ‘24 (fourth from left), one of several student volunteers for the event.

Team members included Merritt ’24, Shasta Power ’26, and Zoe Simotas ’25. Associate Professor of Philosophy James Downey and Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy Charles Lowney are the Hollins Ethics Bowl team’s faculty coordinators.

Student teams representing Virginia’s leading independent colleges and universities deliberated a variety of case studies related to this year’s theme, “Ethics and the Environment.”

At each Ethics Bowl, professionals from a variety of fields listen to four rounds of team presentations and award points based on their evaluations. The two top teams advance to the final round of head-to-head competition, which this year featured Hollins and the University of Lynchburg. The winner receives the coveted Batten Trophy, named for the event’s initial funders, Jane and Frank Batten.

“The Ethics Bowl serves as a testament to the quality of not only VFIC students but also the colleges and universities in our consortium,” said VFIC President Matthew Shank. “Our schools provide a broadly pragmatic liberal arts and sciences education in environments that value and encourage ethical leadership and responsible citizenship. VFIC students are astute, informed, and articulate.”

This is Hollins’ second Ethics Bowl championship; the university won its first title in 2014.

At the event’s annual dinner on January 28, the VFIC honored Jane Parke Batten, a member of Hollins’ class of 1958, for her dedication to higher education, her community, and the Ethics Bowl program. She is a civic leader, community volunteer, and VFIC Honorary-Life Board Trustee.