Jodi Everett
Assistant Editor
In December 2022, President Nora Miller announced that the process of the University’s name change would be pushed back until the 2024 legislative session.
Miller said that there were concerns among constituents that the university was moving too quickly, so the process was slowed to make sure that people are confident that the new name is reflective of the university’s original mission and inclusive of current and prospective students.
The name change process began in Fall 2022. Miller said overall feedback regarding the name change was mostly positive.
“The name change email sent to the [MUW faculty, staff, and students] had over 200 responses and only 25% of those responses were negative.
“In conversations I’ve had, particularly with alums who are on the fence, some were very concerned that we would be abandoning our historic mission of advancing leadership and educational opportunities for women,” Miller said.
Additionally, Miller reported that she and the Naming Task Force sent out requests to more than 40,000 people asking them to complete a name change survey. Focus group invitations were randomly drawn from participants of that survey.
Miller did state, however, that there had not been as much participation in the focus groups as she would have liked, and that the response was somewhat disappointing.
However, Miller said she was comforted by the fact that the majority of the participants seemed to respond positively to the idea of a name change for the University.
After looking at the wider understanding of issues with the name change and the lack of response, Miller and the Naming Task Force decided it would be best to push back the name-changing process in order to get everyone on board.
“As we saw that we didn’t get as much response with the focus groups, and we were coming up with some problems that might exist with the names suggested, depending on how they were presented and it got to be mid-December and we said ‘we’re not ready for this,’” she stated.
“I think we probably could have gotten it done through this session, but I think there were just some people who were hesitant, and I think they could be brought along with a little more time. I think we’d be in a better position by trying that. I think there are more people who could be supportive of the name change if they were given more information and felt more included in the process.”
Miller also gave more insight into the legal process of changing a public university’s name.
“There needs to be IHL Board support — there doesn’t necessarily need to be board action, but we would prefer to have the board act on it. We would need the IHL to vote on the name or vote on the approval of the process. Then, we would need to have bills introduced in both the House and the Senate because it does require legislative action. We would ask our local legislators in the House and the Senate to sponsor that. Then it would probably be sent to the College and Universities Committee on both the House and the Senate, then pass out of those committees, and go to the full floor of the House and the Senate. It would be the same process as any general legislation requires. So, we’ll be looking at a deadline in early January of 2024 to have the legislation introduced.”
Miller said that she and the Naming Task Force are still searching for the best name possible for the University. She believes that the best name will be one that attracts potential students while also feeling open and approachable.
“We’re about access. We wouldn’t want somebody who would thrive in a small institution like this and be put off by a name that makes them think they couldn’t afford it. Access is one of our historic missions, too. We were founded to serve a population that couldn’t be served, and I want us to continue to be seen as an open institution, in that respect.”
Miller trusts that the transition to the new name will be overall better for the University, and the new name will better reflect the institution as a whole. Additionally, the university will have better chances of nationally promoting its online courses with a more inclusive name.
Miller also believes that the cultural and historical significance of the current name, Mississippi University for Women, will still remain after the name has been changed.
“The other thing I want people to understand is that most people don’t love us because of our name. They love this institution because of the experiences they had here, because of the friendships they developed, and that doesn’t have to change,” she said.
“We have evidence of our former names all around us. We definitely don’t want to erase that. We’re wanting to make a bigger deal out of Founder’s Week and Women’s History Month and all of those things. I think with that and our Women’s Leadership programs, our Gender Equity studies, I think we’re always gonna live that part of our mission. I think by gathering all of this information and communicating periodically what all we’re doing, such as the Women’s Music Festival and other events during Women’s History Month, we can exemplify our mission.”
For more information regarding the University Name Change, visit https://www.muw.edu/name/