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IN NOVEMBER, the Mary Washington College Board of Visitors made a decision that will have a lasting and significant impact on both the Fredericksburg community and the college. I am speaking of the selection of a university name for Mary Washington College and the James Monroe Center for Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford County.
As rector and chairman of the board of this great institution, I am proud to say that the name selected--"University of Mary Washington"--is one that will enable the institution to honor its rich heritage, and also build upon the strength and quality that has become associated with both campuses.
The "University of Mary Washington" name does what so many alumni, faculty members, students, and friends of the college requested--it preserves the "Mary Washington" name as we proceed with university status.
This decision also avoids the problem of creating a name for the university and the college that over time could easily become interchangeable, as would have been the case had "Mary Washington University" been selected as the name for the institution. Such a blurring could cause the identity of Fredericksburg's highly selective liberal arts college to fade away.
This juxtaposition of words not only differentiates the college in Fredericksburg from the overarching university, but is consistent with the names of other prestigious institutions, such as the College of William & Mary and the University of Notre Dame. The "University of Mary Washington" name boldly draws attention to "Mary Washington"--both the woman and the institution--and to "university," serving as an accurate reflection of what the institution is today.
In January 2003, the Carnegie Foundation, which certifies the classification of all institutions of higher learning across the country, reclassified Mary Washington from its status as a baccalaureate liberal arts college to its role as a graduate degree-granting university. The increasing number of graduate degrees being awarded by the James Monroe Center prompted this change.
Throughout the process of moving to university status, we, as a board and an institution, have promised that the transition will not tamper with the name, tradition, or quality of Mary Washington College. In fact, the driving force behind this decision has been to ensure that Mary Washington College does not become lost as the James Monroe Center rapidly grows in size and scope.
University status, and the "University of Mary Washington" name, will allow each institution to flourish independently. Mary Washington College will continue to offer its nationally known undergraduate, liberal-arts program and at the same time the James Monroe Center will continue to build upon its phenomenal success with quality graduate and undergraduate programs for working professionals.
Since its opening in 1999, the James Monroe Center has seen enrollment increases of more then 25 percent each year. Currently operating at capacity with more than 800 students enrolled in degree programs, and an additional thousand in nondegree programs, the center is expected to have more than 4,000 students by the end of the decade. This number is equal to the current enrollment at Mary Washington College, which has a 4,000-student enrollment cap.
Finally, it is important to note that the university name reflects the recommendation of a consulting team with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools re-accreditation visit in 2003. The team urged that the institution move forward with university status and "expeditiously" adopt a university name. As part of this effort, the move to university status has been supported by a two-year "self-study" conducted by faculty and staff.
Several research studies, conducted over a period of seven years, have also indicated that there is strong support among MWC alumni and prospective students for a university structure and a name.
As part of this research, high-school juniors and seniors strongly indicated that they would prefer to attend a "university" rather than a "college" in a survey that sought the opinions of 3,000 typical Mary Washington College applicants. More than 60 percent of these respondents said that a "university" would be more attractive to prospective students on the basis of "research opportunities," "degree value," "career success," "graduate school placement," and "academic rigor."
In addition to attracting the most academically qualified students, university status will enhance the institution's ability to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, and is expected to help the institution secure more research grants and funding. This in turn will result in an increased value of the Mary Washington degree, which will benefit both current and future alumni as they seek employment or apply to graduate schools.
We have a "once in a lifetime" opportunity--as students, alumni, employees, and residents of the commonwealth of Virginia--to unite behind this effort and support the decision by the board of visitors of Mary Washington College. Our recommendation is before the Virginia General Assembly, which must vote to make the change official.
The "University of Mary Washington" name accomplishes all of the goals that we hoped we would achieve in developing a university name. It emphasizes and preserves all that is outstanding about Mary Washington College, and it provides the opportunity for the James Monroe Center to grow in size and quality as it works to meet the educational needs of the Fredericksburg region. It retains the "Mary Washington" name in honor of our heritage, and it points the way to a promising future for the institution as a whole. I urge you to lend your support and to be a part of this historic effort.
DORI EGLEVSKY is rector of Mary Washington College's board of visitors.