A committee has selected a proposed new name for the Mississippi University for Women, but it won’t be made public until name-change legislation is filed, President Nora Miller said Friday.
The name change would take effect July 1 if the legislature approves it. The next legislative session begins Jan. 2.
Miller said the hopeful new name is tied to the university’s tradition, but she declined to offer other hints Friday when speaking with The Dispatch.
“The sooner the legislature will act on this and approve it and get it signed, that gives us more lead time for changing signs and getting all that done,” Miller said.
The process to change the university moniker started in 2022 with the intention of finding a more inclusive name reflective of the fully integrated student body. After developing a task force to develop ideas, the university sent surveys to students, staff, alumni and community members in October 2022 with potential name change options, including many related to the school’s geography and history.
MUW was the first state-supported college for women in the U.S., opening in 1874 as the Columbus Female Institute. The school was renamed the Industrial Institute and College in 1884 and then again as the Mississippi State College for Women. It became Mississippi University for Women in 1974 but has accepted male students since 1982.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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