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Aswani Volety, a distinguished alumni of William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS, exemplifies the transformative power of academic mentorship and intentional networking. His remarkable journey from a young marine scientist in India to Chancellor of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) underscores the global impact of the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS. 

Finding the Perfect Grad School Fit 

Volety’s career began when he completed his bachelor’s and master's degrees at Andhra University and worked for India’s National Institute of Oceanography, studying the impacts of pollutants on coastal areas. When considering Ph.D. programs, he found the Batten School & VIMS’ focus on coastal areas over open-ocean research was an ideal match. “VIMS is one of the preeminent institutions for graduate research in coastal areas,” Volety said. “I was thrilled to be accepted and even more thrilled to be working with my advisor, Fu-Lin Chu, who at the time was working on oysters.” 

He explained that while oysters are an important economic industry, “for ecological reasons they are even more important.” Alongside Chu Ph.D. '82, P '97, P '12, Volety focused on the complex interactions between marine organisms and environmental stressors, especially how contaminants affect host-parasite dynamics in oysters. “Given my interest and background, it was a perfect fit. In addition to that, it is an amazing school in terms of research advisory services for the state, and that interested me.” 

Mentorship that Made a Difference 

Volety credits Chu for shaping his career trajectory. “Fu-Lin is like a mother to me... She introduced me to different people, expanded my network and taught me how to write grants and publish papers and be aggressive with research,” he said. “I'm very, very grateful to her for taking me as a student and mentoring me and helping me. And in fact, I still keep in touch with her.” 

Chu’s mentorship opened doors to postdoctoral opportunities, including a prestigious fellowship with the National Academy of Sciences. “When it comes to Fu-Lin, it’s very high energy. She had students from all over the world,” he said, recalling fellow mentees from France, Turkey and China, among others. “It was fantastic. [She and her husband] would invite us to their house for dinner. She was very caring.”

Their relationship continued even as Volety moved into administrative roles. “When I became a dean,” Volety said, “Fu-Lin would still call me up and say, ‘Here’s a grant that I think you should apply for.’ And when I became provost it was the same thing. I’d ask her, ‘Don’t you think I’ve got a couple other things I need to worry about right now?’ But it shows her loyalty and her passion.” 

A Dynamic, Intercultural Community 

Beyond academic rigor, Volety emphasized the value of the Batten School & VIMS’ intimate and diverse community. “I lived in an apartment complex about a mile and a half from campus,” he said, “and my neighbors were other students from Russia, South Korea, Canada, Singapore and New York.” And it was the differences between students that enlivened their shared experiences. 

“In grad school, everybody's broke,” Volety joked. “We’d get together over the weekends and make food from wherever you came from... so there was really that sense of camaraderie. As good an education as I received from an academic perspective, getting to know people from various parts of the world—how they think, how they react, how we are similar—was more enlightening for me.” 

The Batten School & VIMS also brought unexpected joys, including meeting his spouse, Ai Ning Loh ‘98, Ph.D. ‘02. “It’s a very small group, and you’re going through shared experiences: everybody’s working late, somebody’s experiments didn’t work well, you’re bouncing around ideas and you lean on each other,” he reflected. “And beyond the students, the access to faculty willing to brainstorm ideas was an amazing perk as well.”

From Researcher to Leader 

After graduating from the Batten School & VIMS and completing various post-doctoral work, Volety was invited to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), a new institution in the state system of Florida. “It was literally a start-up school,” Volety said. Despite initial doubts about joining a nascent institution, he embraced the challenge of creating a marine science program from the ground-up and accepted roles as professor of marine science and director of the Vester Marine Field Station. 

However, the work was not without its challenges. “My first lab was in a double-wide trailer where the film studies folks were storing all their cutouts and other things,” Volety said. “I had to create a little room for myself. And since I didn't have the labs, I focused a little more on the field work and I got more money, created more opportunities. In a few years, I had anywhere between a quarter million to half a million dollars per year every year. And I had 20, 30 undergrads, about four postdocs and three or four Ph.D. students and I don’t know how many master's students in my lab.”

After such obvious success, Volety was asked to serve as FGCU’s interim dean for the College of Arts & Sciences. He then accepted a role at UNCW as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (which has since evolved into two academic colleges) and executive director for the Center for Marine Science, “which is very similar to VIMS,” he said. Volety later left to serve as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Elon University, before returning to UNCW as chancellor. 

“I've always said it: the three things that made a difference in my life are education, mentors and the opportunities in our great country,” he said. “I have had very good mentors. I got an excellent education. And this is truly a unique country in providing opportunities; regardless of your background, regardless of where you came from, if you work hard, you'll do well.” 

Today as chancellor, Volety sets the collective vision for UNCW and works to empower the university community to bring that vision to life. “Academia is unique, but at the end of the day, every day is different and every day is exciting,” Volety said. “I love my job.” 

Looking Back, and Looking Forward 

Volety clearly cherishes his time at the Batten School & VIMS. “It is an amazing place,” he said. “It’s a very relationship-based place.” Those connections have continued over the years; Volety has returned to campus several times to give seminars to both students and faculty. He also played a role in building the original Chesapeake Bay Hall as a member of the design committee. 

For incoming students, he advises embracing the unique community and engaging with everyone. “Take advantage of the faculty and staff members in addition to your primary advisor,” he said. “They're very helpful, very knowledgeable. It really helps to have somebody provide a different perspective.” 

He also encourages students to consider a variety of career paths. “There are a lot more opportunities that are open today that were not there 35 years ago in terms of private industry or public-private partnerships and so forth. And maybe academia is your path, and that's great too,” he said. “But keep in touch, go to conferences, expand your network, create that pipeline—and don’t wait until after graduation; start doing those things now.” 

As he continues to shape the future of higher education and marine science, Volety remains a proud ambassador for the Batten School & VIMS. “It is an amazing group, an amazing place that created a lot of fond memories,” he said. “I would ask people to keep an open mind and throw yourself fully into the collegiate experience, and they'll have an amazing time.”