That’s a question that has been bubbling just beneath the surface at The Mississippi University for Women for nearly four decades.
Should the university’s name be changed to more accurately reflect the times?
Since 1982, when MUW admitted its first male student, the name has become more and more an enigma. Today, males make up about 20 percent of the student population.
For some, the name is archaic. For others, it’s an important link to a significant milestone in higher education. In 1884, the school became the first state-funded women’s college in the United States. That sort of legacy is something not to be lightly discarded.
Shakespeare aside, names do matter. It’s the first and biggest part of a university’s brand. In the competitive world of higher education, where colleges and universities compete for students, anything that is an inaccurate portrayal of the brand is a detriment.
More and more, as The W expands its programs (including male sports teams) and recruits without regard to gender, the name becomes an obstacle.
It’s time — perhaps, past time — for a name change.
There is, too, a precedent. The school has had multiple name changes since its founding, each change reflecting substantial changing in the school’s identity.
This fall, the university’s Student Government Association conducted a poll of students to gauge their interest in changing the name of the university.
The response to that poll underscores that there is no sweeping consensus for either changing the name or leaving it as is: 41 percent favored a name change while 35 percent favored retaining the name. The rest had no opinion.
Anecdotally, alumnae seem to favor keeping the name. That’s understandable. For generations of women, having “women” in the title is an accurate reflection of their time at the school.
But that’s changing. MUW graduates who attended a co-ed institution are quickly approaching their 60s. Before too long, the memories among graduates of The W as a co-ed institution will be the rule, rather than the exception.
Like any major decision, the merits of change must be weighed against the costs.
When the school was founded, the mission was clear. There were few “acceptable” occupations afforded women and few opportunities for higher education. The W was our nation’s first response to that reality.
But now a new reality has emerged. Women have access to careers in all fields and are accepted at any institution. While there remains a few privately-funded institutions that are exclusively female, there are no male-only institutions.
Aside from the cost of incorrect messaging, there are studies that show that a school branded as a women’s institution creates a negative reaction from not only men, but more and more women as well.
There are few remaining institutions segregated by gender in modern society. For most, that idea seems archaic, pointless.
Given that, it seems that a name change at The W in inevitable.
The question is, if not now, when?
The student government association plans to hold meetings to better articulate students’ position on a name change. The result of that polling, along with the administration’s response to it, may tell us if the time has come.
We suspect it has.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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