Mary Washington College's days are numbered: soon, the 95-year old school officially will be renamed the University of Mary Washington.
The Virginia Senate yesterday approved the name change by a 37-2 vote. The day before, the House of Delegates had passed an identical bill by a 90-5 vote.
The name change, granted after the Mary Washington Board of Visitors voted unanimously for the new name at its Nov. 22 meeting, paves the way for the institution's name to reflect its new status as an accredited university.
Previously consisting only of an undergraduate campus in Fredericksburg, Mary Washington College founded the James Monroe Center for Graduate and Professional Studies in neighboring Stafford County five years ago.
The Center now enrolls more than 800 students in degree programs, and the increase prompted the Carnegie Foundation, an organization that nationally certifies the classifications of all institutes of higher learning, to reclassify Mary Washington as a university instead of a liberal arts college.
The new university, however, will keep the Mary Washington name. The University of Mary Washington will serve as an umbrella name for the James Monroe Center and the Fredericksburg campus, which will keep the Mary Washington College name.
Following passage in the House and Senate, the bill now awaits the approval of Gov. Mark Warner. If he signs it into law, the name change will become effective immediately.
--Compiled by Christopher Jones
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