ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ College will observe its transition to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ during a brief ceremony and reception at 10 a.m., Friday, June 1 at Young Commons on campus.
Students, faculty and staff will join officials from the town of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ College, which is also changing its name to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, for a gathering which will include the signing of the university’s new charter. President Leo M. Lambert will be accompanied by former presidents Earl Danieley and Fred Young, as well as Wallace Chandler, former board of trustees chairman who first raised the idea of university status for ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ. Beth Schmidt, mayor of the town of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ, will also participate in the ceremonies, as well as Trey Bolton, Student Government Association president.
“This is an exciting milestone in ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s proud 112-year history,” says Lambert. “The name ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ is representative of the fact that ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ has become one of the nation’s premier small, private, selective universities. But ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ will remain true to its core values, with a close-knit academic community that is student-centered, promoting strong mentoring relationships between students and faculty.”
The move to university status was envisioned in 1994, when trustees launched the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Vision, a strategic plan which was completed in April. The 14th goal of the plan was “To have the programs, personnel, students and trustees worthy of recognition as a comprehensive undergraduate university.”
Over the past six years, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ has added 60 faculty positions; established a college of arts and sciences and schools of education and communications; built a new state-of-the-art library, science building, campus center and other facilities; begun construction of a new athletics stadium; increased enrollment from 3,500 to more than 4,100; made the transition to NCAA Division I athletics and gained extensive national recognition in numerous college guides and other publications.
The transition to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ was unanimously approved by the board of trustees in October 2000.
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