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MUCH HAS been said and written in recent weeks about the institution that officially became the University of Mary Washington on July 1 and the transition to university status of what was formerly Mary Washington College. It was on this date that the institution's "corporate" name changed by action of the General Assembly and at the request of the institution's board of visitors. As a result of this legislation, the name "University of Mary Washington" became the only name that appears in the Code of Virginia for the institution, and it became the only legal entity that exists for the institution as a whole.
With that said, let me point out that the board of visitors has within its power the ability to name and designate how "schools" and "colleges" will function under the university structure. This internal operating structure and designation of functions do not require approval of the legislature or the governor. They are entirely within the purview of the board to determine.
At its July 16 meeting, the board reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to retaining the "Mary Washington College" name for the undergraduate, residential college of arts and sciences in Fredericksburg. This reaffirmation came when the board approved an updated mission statement for the institution required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for reaccreditation.
I want to emphasize that the board never wavered in this commitment, which dates back to 1998 when it first endorsed the need for additional study of the concept of "university status." In passing that resolution, the board indicated that the name "Mary Washington College" would be retained in a new university structure. A recently completed self-study and an updated strategic plan will help guide this transition, but many details are yet to be worked out. This will likely take considerable time to fully implement.
In calling attention to this commitment by the board and our approval of the updated mission statement, I do not want to mislead our loyal alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the institution into thinking that this means all things will be as they were before the move to university status. That is not possible. And, even if it were, it is not a goal that we as a board and as an institution would want to pursue. There are vitally important reasons why the move to university status was essential and why we must embrace this change, while retaining those parts of our past that make us distinctive and accentuate our strengths.
In four short years, the school that was once called "State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Fredericksburg" will celebrate its centennial. The history of our institution is replete with examples of change. And, undoubtedly, these changes have always been difficult for those closest to the school to accept--especially graduates.
This latest change is no exception. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know that these changes throughout our long history were essential so that the institution could evolve into the university that it is today, from serving in 1924 as "State Teacher's College at Fredericksburg," to 1938 as "Mary Washington College," to 1944 as "Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia," to 1972 as "Mary Washington College," and finally to "University of Mary Washington."
Many people have asked what the move to university status will mean for the institution. To respond, the academic program on the Fredericksburg campus will continue to feature small class sizes, close faculty-student interaction, and a rigorous liberal-arts and sciences curriculum for its traditional, residential student body. As stated previously, it will continue to be known as "Mary Washington College."
What will primarily change at the university will be the scope and size of the academic programs on the campus in Stafford County, which the board of visitors has renamed the "College of Graduate and Professional Studies" (formerly the "James Monroe Center"). This campus has seen increases in enrollment of more than 25 percent each year since it opened in 1999. The construction of a second building will begin next year to ease the stress on the campus, which is now operating at capacity with nearly 1,000 degree-seeking students and hundreds of other students enrolled in professional-development courses.
The primary reason for seeking university status was to preserve the programs on the Fredericksburg campus, while allowing the Stafford campus to grow and meet the educational needs of the region. By becoming the University of Mary Washington, the institution has developed a way to combine, under one administration, the operation of two campuses.
Driving the decision to build the graduate campus was a mandate from the State Council of Higher Education in the early 1990s that called upon all of Virginia's public colleges and universities to accommodate the increasing numbers of students in the K-12 school system. Mary Washington sought a way to meet the needs of the commonwealth by admitting more students, while at the same time working to preserve the quality of the liberal-arts academic program in Fredericksburg.
The institution determined that there was an unmet regional need for graduate and professional programs; thus, the idea for the campus in Stafford County was born. The Fredericksburg campus would retain its cap of 4,000 students, along with its selectivity, small class sizes, prestigious academic program, and traditional beauty of the campus.
We have come a long way since 1908, particularly with the increase in the institution's national reputation in the last 20 years under the leadership of President William M. Anderson Jr. In these two decades, the institution has grown significantly in prestige and is now recognized as one of the 150 most selective institutions in the country. Mary Washington also has built an excellent NCAA-Division III nonscholarship athletic program, maintained a beautiful campus, and incorporated the latest in information technology, all while preserving its small-college feel.
As we approach our 100-year mark, our institutional goals for the University of Mary Washington are impressive. They include, for the Mary Washington College arts and sciences program, continued reductions in class sizes, greater opportunities for personal interaction between faculty and students, increased funding for undergraduate research opportunities, and establishment of increasing numbers of student scholarships and endowed professorships.
For the College of Graduate and Professional Studies in Stafford County, the future is promising, too. This campus will continue to grow to meet the needs of the region's working professionals, starting with the addition of a second building next year. It will help foster economic development by attracting companies to the area that see access to a well-trained work force as an added incentive. It will continue to provide master's degrees in business and education, and it will add new programs as dictated by the professional needs of residents.
As I begin my term as rector of the board of visitors, I look forward to continuing to witness the evolution of this outstanding university. As an alumna, I am proud to be a part of its past and, as a member of the board, I look forward to helping to shape its future.
MONA ALBERTINE, a 1971 graduate of Mary Washington College, is in her fifth year as a member of the board of visitors of the University of Mary Washington. She was elected rector during the board's July 16 meeting.