Mount St. Mary’s Becomes University
Mount St. Mary’s College and Seminary officially changed its name to Mount St. Mary’s University.
On June 7, the school’s 33-member Board of Trustees voted unanimously for the designation change.
Mount President Thomas H. Powell believes that the school is a university by any measure. Powell said, “The percentage of our faculty with terminal degrees (89 percent) exceeds recognized standards. We are fully engaged in graduate programs, and our three main components: the college, the seminary and the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes, will benefit greatly from a name that better unifies us as one.”
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“As we prepare for our third century of service, I believe this designation change will serve us well,” He added.
Founded in 1808, the Mount today became the second-largest seminary in the country offering five postgraduate degrees in four campuses. 1,400-acre campus in Emmitsburg, Md., is home to more than 1,400 undergraduate students. According to the school officials, graduate students make up 27 percent, or nearly a third of the student body.
Mount plans to develop new institutional logo and undertake marketing, advertising and branding campaign.
“We compete for students and faculty in a market in which many colleges are changing their designations to university. If we are to stay competitive, we must do the same,” said Powell.
George Dehne & Assosiates found that universities were more highly regarded than colleges by employers and graduate schools and more likely to be credited with having better students, a better social life, greater diversity of students, greater prestige and stronger science programs.
Nearly 200 other colleges across the country have made similar name changes over the last decade.
