After two years of discussions, surveys and focus groups, the Mississippi University for Women announced Monday morning the proposed new name for the school will be Mississippi Brightwell University.

President Nora Miller revealed the new name during the university’s spring faculty and staff convocation in Poindexter Hall.

“The new name, which was inspired by the motto ‘we study for light to bless with light’ communicates that we are a first choice university that is in competition for top students, funding and opportunities for research and outreach,” Miller said.

The new name will be introduced for legislative approval in the current session. Should the name be approved, Miller said it will take effect in July.
“We hope this can be addressed relatively early during the session to give us time to be ready for July 1,” she said.

As of press time Monday, a bill had not been introduced to the legislature for the name change. Dist. 15 Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Lowndes County, told The Dispatch he was unsure when that would happen.

Name changing process

Opened as the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls in 1884, MUW was the first state-supported college for women in America. The name of the school was soon shortened to Industrial Institute and College (II&C) and then to Mississippi State College for Women (MSCW) in 1920. MSCW became Mississippi University for Women in 1974 though the university began accepting men in 1982.

In October 2022, the university sent 39,000 surveys to students, staff, alumni and community members gauging interest in eight possible new names that would be more inclusive for a co-ed student body. Each name in the survey, including options like Callaway State University and University of Northern Mississippi, referenced either a historical figure from the university’s history or the school’s geographical location.

Miller said the final decision to not use a name related to the university’s location or history was intentional. A name based on location would not reflect the unique qualities of the university and may be easily confused with neighboring community colleges, she said.

“The second decision was not to use a family or historic name,” Miller said. “Many institutions are taking names off of buildings for this very reason, and going back generations, you might find some things that were not politically correct.”

The hardest decision to make, Miller said, was deciding against a name that would maintain the “W” symbolism.

“We were founded as the first state supported college for women, and for us, our W is for women,” she said. “So we will not diminish that history by grasping at a W name. Instead we decided to draw on our history, our mission and our traditions and also what came through during focus sessions that we held with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. A constant through all of those sessions was that we are empowering and enlightening.”

Mixed reviews

The “bright” in Brightwell refers to the university’s motto as well as several traditions like passing a torch during commencement each year to the newest members of the school. The “well” in Brightwell is a reference to the university’s largest degree programs in the Bill and Jo-Ann Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

“We promote physical and mental wellness,” Miller said. “Light and wellness are in our DNA.”

Director of Alumni Relations and Donor Engagement and alum Cathryn Borer, who served on the renaming committee while in her previous role as executive director for the Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, said she is happy with the result.

“What we landed on I think really does represent … the light we want to show to the community and the rest of the alums,” Borer said. “I don’t want to lose the W … but as the university continues to grow and morph into something a little different, I felt we need to move with those times.”

Borer said she is happy the inclusion of the new women’s college will nod to the history the university has of providing women with opportunities to receive quality education.

The university is seeking approval for the women’s college from the Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning in February. The new college will offer students personalized experiences that highlight women’s excellence and leadership while also providing professional experience to launch their careers.

The university’s announcement of the new name on their Facebook page garnered mixed reactions, with more than 500 comments in less than three hours. More than 100 commented on The Dispatch’s Facebook post on the proposed name.

A few commenters praised the university for choosing a less exclusive name, an outpouring of others panned the proposal, raising concerns the new name strayed too far from The W’s tradition or saying Brightwell sounds like the name of a “cult,” “private elementary school” or “rehab center.”

MUW Communications Director Tyler Wheat said rebranding campus signage should cost roughly $65,000. Recurring costs like advertising, stationary and other branded assets will be included in annual budgets, he said.