One in every of Mississippi’s public universities is pausing its effort to change to a reputation that doesn’t come with the phrase “Girls.”
The president of Mississippi College for Girls, Nora Miller, mentioned in a observation Wednesday that scholars, alumni and others will have to have extra dialogue concerning the subject.
MISSISSIPPI PRISON SUED OVER DANGEROUS CONDITIONS, HEALTHCARE SHORTCOMINGS
The college in Columbus has enrolled males since 1982, and about 22% of the present 2,230 scholars are male. However college leaders say having “girls” within the identify makes recruiting harder.
Miller graduated from MUW and mentioned she recognizes “the demanding situations, the missteps, the frustrations, and the uncertainties” brought about by way of efforts to rebrand.
“Whilst we stay dedicated to a long term identify exchange, we will be able to regroup and think again our processes, techniques of enticing our alumni base, and the various wishes surrounding discovering a reputation that captures the original historical past in addition to the recent qualities of our college,” Miller wrote.
Her observation got here 8 days after Miller introduced the college would search legislative approval to turn out to be Wynbridge State College of Mississippi — a reputation that may nonetheless permit advertising beneath an established nickname, “The W.”
Mississippi College for Girls banners embellish the campus in Columbus, Omit., Oct. 23, 2023. The college, which has additionally enrolled males since 1982, introduced Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that it might pause its effort to select a brand new identify that doesn’t come with the phrase “Girls.” (AP Picture/Rogelio V. Solis)
Amanda Clay Powers, the college’s dean of library services and products and co-chair of the naming job power, mentioned Feb. 13 that Wynbridge “creatively pairs the Outdated English phrase for ‘W,’ the use of it as a ‘bridge’ that connects previous, provide and long term W graduates.”
Backlash by way of alumni brought about college officers to back off from some other proposed identify unveiled in January, Mississippi Brightwell College.
In 2022, Miller introduced a job power to inspect a reputation exchange, months after the college’s Deans Council despatched her a letter pronouncing the present identify gifts “demanding situations.”
Alumni have squelched earlier renaming efforts.
The college’s president in 2009, Claudia Limbert, proposed converting to Reneau College to honor Sallie Reneau, who wrote to the Mississippi governor within the mid-Nineteenth century to suggest a public faculty for ladies.
The varsity was once chartered in 1884 as Business Institute and Faculty and was once at the campus of an present non-public college, Columbus Feminine Institute. The unique challenge of the school was once to supply upper schooling and vocational coaching for ladies.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 1920, the identify modified to Mississippi State Faculty for Girls, and in 1974 it turned into Mississippi College for Girls.
