Oct 11, 2007 3:46 pm US/Eastern
Villa Julie College Coming Up With New Name
(WJZ)BALTIMORE Exactly what is in a name?
Apparently a lot.
Villa Julie College says their name is causing misconceptions about their school. Peggy Lee reports they're looking for a new title.
Since 1947 Villa Julie College has been a place for higher learning in Maryland. The Baltimore County school began as a two-year all-girls Catholic college for medical-secretarial training.
Fast forwarding 60 years and things have changed.
"We're in our 10th year of increasing enrollment; we've grown to a second campus. We've grown our endowment," said Glenda Le Gendre from Villa Julie College.
Now the college is coed and has graduate and undergraduate departments.
The second campus is expanding at Owings Mills, the college is becoming a university, and it could be getting a new name to boot.
"I think people just think it sounds like a girl's name, but I don't think it does," said Brianna Seekford.
Students, faculty and staff are submitting suggestions. Two popular ones: Greenspring University and Rockland University.
"Greenspring would probably be better for me. That's probably the best name because of Greenspring Valley Road," said student Buddy Breidenbaugh.
Changing the name isn't based solely on becoming a university. The school says because of their name, people associate them as being an all-girls college.
Over the summer, they polled 700 people from in and outside of Maryland, asking them how they felt about the name.
Included in the study were potential students, their parents, high school guidance counselors, business leaders and college recruiters.
"The view from other states on Villa Julie is all-girls schools and affiliated with the Christian church," said student Mallory Turco.
The college says the study showed their name is confusing among most of their external constituents and changing to Villa Julie University alone would not correct the incorrect perception that could negatively impact recruitment.
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