What's in a Name?

Good news! In fact great news!

The Mississippi State Senate Bill on re-naming my college has died in committee.  Whoo-Hoo!!!!  I am very excited.  And on top of that, the current president is retiring at the end of this academic year (a few years too late if you ask me, but no one asked me).  But let me repeat:  Whoo-Hoo!!!  No name change.  May the new president take the hint -- and realize that the name change is not wanted, by either the alumnae or the citizens of Mississippi.

I was graduated from Mississippi University for Women.  I felt at home from the moment I stepped on the campus when it toured it as a high school junior.  It was a perfect fit for me.  I had a great time at college and met some lifelong friends there.  I loved that I went to the first state-supported institution for higher education for women in the country.  I loved that it was a small college (<3,000 students) on a campus filled with historic buildings (many antebellum) on grounds that serve as a state arboretum.  I loved the rich traditions of the school, most borne from a time when it was an all-female college.  I loved that the school did not change the traditions to reflect the admittance of men in 1982, but instead invited the men to join the traditions as they existed.  The campus also served as the home to Mississippi's School for Mathematics and Sciences, which meant that the campus was open on weekends, and without a NCAA football team, it was still quiet and serene on weekends.  It was the perfect place for me to blossom into my adulthood.

I spent many happy hours at The W, as the University was nicknamed.  Changing the name in my mind is an abomination.  The mere consideration of the idea is an indication that the current administration cared nothing for the history of the university or the opinions of its students and alumnae.  The driving factor behind the need for a name change, at least as put forth by the current president, was to bring a newer, more modern focus to the 126-year old institution.  The problem is that the university did not need a more modern focus.  It needed to maintain its current focus.  Why try to compete at something outside your scope of knowledge, when you can excel at something you have been doing exceptionally well for over 120 years?  Mississippi University for Women educates men and women in traditionally female disciplines, and they do it very well.

The newer, modern focus and subsequent name would have taken the word Women out of the university's name.  That is a slap in the face to all the women and men who have been a part of the university in the 126-year history.  People all over the world know of The W -- whether they are graduates, family members of graduates, friends of graduates, interested academics, casual acquaintances, or even rank strangers, people know The W.   The W is an internationally known brand.  Taking the "W" our of The W leaves the most well-known name of the university as only "The."  Renaming the university would take away the most well-known identity.  It would force an expensive and massive marketing campaign, and more than likely fail, meaning the end of whatever remained of the University.  A name change was not needed.

Which is not to say that I do not understand the financial crisis occurring in state-supported institutions of higher learning.  I understand it makes no sense at all to have to universities offering similar degrees less than 50 miles apart.  And, thanks to the fine instruction I got at The W, I do not object to a merger, so long as the merger merges degrees only and maintains the facilities, integrity, and identity of The W.  I have never objected to change so long as change respects the history.  Changing the name of Mississippi University for Women, to a name that removes any and all references to its original, and continuing, mission does not respect the history.

Graduates of The W become part of what is called the Long Blue Line -- a line that includes the thousands of women (and men) who passed through Old Maid's Gate before them.  Now that the Mississippi State Senate has realized the name is not an issue, may they remember and preserve the history, integrity, and dignity of the Long Blue Line, by maintaining the identity and physical campus of The W.  Don't throw away 126 years of proud, educated women when a practical, workable solution can be found if you open your eyes, ears, and hearts to it.

Congratulations to the Long Blue Line.  An important battle was won today.