'The W' college would be rolled into Mississippi State University under Senate bill

As administrators at the Mississippi University for Women grapple with changing the university's name to be more inclusive and better reflect the university's values, legislation was introduced recently in the Senate that would make that process moot.

Senate Bill 2715, introduced Feb. 19 — a week after MUW officials announced a second name change for the university — offers another solution, which, although it would allow the university to remain The W, the university would become part of nearby Mississippi State University instead.

Take our poll: Should 'The W' become part of Mississippi State?

The bill, introduced by Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, praises the contributions of MUW to the state and the city of Columbus, where its campus is located, but also addresses other issues such as declining enrollment — something many universities throughout the nation also are struggling with.

"The modern landscape of higher education is continually changing, especially with concerns about enrollment nationwide in future years, and the needs, duties and responsibilities of institutions of higher learning must adapt to this changing landscape," the bill states.

"Facing declining enrollment and other challenges, the Mississippi University for Women, along with its students, the state, region and local community, would be better served by close collaboration with Mississippi State University, a research institution less than 25 miles away."

The bill, which made it out of committee, recommends the university become part of Mississippi State University but be called The W at Mississippi State University.

"A collaboration between Mississippi State University and the Mississippi University for Women may also result in efficiencies and innovations which can help both institutions flourish in the future," the bill suggests.

If the bill becomes law, the transition would begin July 1 with a completion date of July 1, 2025. The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science would remain at The W, if the bill is passed as it is currently written.

“We became aware of the last-minute amendment made to Senate Bill 2715 yesterday,” Mississippi University for Women President Nora Miller said in a statement to campus on Tuesday. “The proposed action to merge and rename the university 'The W at Mississippi State University’ was unexpected, but we are fully committed to ensuring our university’s health and sustainability and its 140-year legacy in the state of Mississippi.”

Miller was in Jackson on Wednesday to meet with key leadership about the bill.

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Mississippi University for Women has been going through the process of renaming the university to reflect its current climate of inclusiveness. The university began admitting men in 1982 but still maintains an emphasis on empowering women.

"We have been challenged by a name that does not represent our diversity," Miller said in an earlier story. "The 'for Women' creates confusion and is a barrier to education for men and women. Now our graduates, past, present and future will remain united."

Name game: Mississippi University for Women pauses name change for third time in 2024. See the latest

Through the renaming process, the university announced in January it would change the name to Brightwell University, but after much backlash went back to the drawing board. A month later, officials announced another new name, Wynbridge State University of Mississippi, which also was met with resistance.

Again, the university announced it would take a step back and pause before coming up with another name proposal. Any new name decided would not become official until it is approved by the Legislature.

"In order to give our entire community time to regroup and consider all perspectives, we will take a strategic pause at this time as we continue to work toward a future name change," Miller said in a Feb. 21 letter to alumni.

Mississippi University for Women was chartered in 1884, when it became the first state-supported college for women in the United States, according to the university's website. The charter process took more than 20 years before the university became a reality.

In 2022, the university's academic deans wrote a letter to Miller asking for a name change to better reflect the student body as a whole.

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"MUW faces serious challenges in declining enrollment, a decreasing pool of traditional-age students from which to recruit, and especially, a significant decline in interest in women’s colleges among all students," was one of the arguments the deans presented in the letter, according to the university's name-change summary report.

Before the bill becomes law, there are still many steps in the process. The full Senate must vote on it, then send it to the House for a vote. If it passes in the Legislature, Gov. Tate Reeves will have to put his seal of approval on it.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: The W Columbus MS would become part of Mississippi State University