Villa Julie: What’s in a name?
February 8, 2008
In another of a series of changes at Villa Julie College, Shelton Rhodes Ph.D. would be the new business school’s first-ever dean.
The move comes as school officials are also brainstorming on what to re-name the 60-year old college, which will be re-christened as a university.
According to a press release from the school, a total of about 80 names were originally suggested to the naming committee. From those, six finalists were selected and are now being reviewed by focus groups.
The names, in no particular order from Villa Julie’s Web site are:
- Billiart University — This name comes from the school’s founder, Sister Julie Billiart.
- Stevenson University — From the Villa Julie Web site, this name was selected because it reflected “the rural and sentimental roots of the College.”
- Tufton University — Pays homage to a community that lies between the Stevenson and Owings Mills campuses of the school.
- Great Oaks University — Inspired by seven oak trees on the college’s original grounds not to mention its legacy fund.
- Sagamore University — Chosen because it is the name of an estate that lies between the Stevenson and Owings Mills campuses.
- Greenspring University — I figured it was because the main campus was on Greenspring Valley Road. But, according to the site this name was inspired by “the valley, roads and history connecting our two campuses the “green” motif.”
BEN MOOK, Assistant Business Editor
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11 Responses to “Villa Julie: What’s in a name?”
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As a graduate of VJC, I believe that they should leave the name as is. I am a paralegal and there are many business leads and network connections that I have made due to the name on my resume. Many employers especially in the legal fields see the name Villa Julie and we get a foot up on the competition. I believe the name should NOT change.
I second Sarah’s view. Why can’t they retain the name “Villa Julie?”
I graduated from Towson State - and my husband graduated from Western Maryland. Now both schools have “redesigned their identity,” and alumni are left with no alma mater to identify with!
Villa Julie is a fine school with a great reputation - keep Villa Julie!
It’s actually not that great a reputation. People either haven’t heard of it or think it’s a girls’ secretarial school. And I’m a graduate too.
I don’t understand the name changes of these regional colleges/universities. I would think that Villa Julie is among the regional universities that carry a particular reputation in this region. Why change it after so long? Plus, the suggested names make it seem like it’s aiming to be more of a local institution than a regional one. Does anyone really think Sagamore, Greenspring, Tufton, or Stevenson are at all good ideas? Why not just call it “Villa Julie University?”
FWIW, I did not attend school there.
If you visit the College’s website and enter on the “Name Study Bulletin Board”, you’ll see the research data and reasons for the potential name change based on local and regional research of multiple constituents.
I agree 100% with Sarah. I too am a graduate and think the name should remain the same. VJC is a known and respected college. Changing the name is a terrible idea.
Although I understand alumni concerns, I think rebranding is a valid and probably timely idea for VJC. Colleges, like most other organizations these days, are facing increasing competition for students and $$. While Villa Julie may be well known in this area it is probably not as well known outside of the region. This puts the school at a disadvantage when competing on a national basis with colleges that are perhaps larger, with higher visibility and more resources. I am a Goucher alum and though it was distressing when the school went co-ed, I recognized that some changes had to be made if the school was going to thrive in future decades. Rebranding is a huge undertaking. It is expensive, and involves years of intense promotion and education to become successful. I believe VJC would not have undertaken this effort if research had not revealed that it was essential for the future health of the school. Good luck with the name change, and PS I like Greenspring University — it conjures up wonderful images!
All of the proposed names, to me, seem to fall terribly short of their intended purpose. None of them identify with the larger regional population in the sense that they make use of pre-conceived notions about the name. Naming the school “Stevenson University” or “Billiart University” does nothing to attract regional out-of-state students any more than just “Villa Julie University” might. All are equally unheard-of and leave the school in the position of having to build a new reputation from scratch, while tossing out an established Villa Julie reputation.
Getting rid of local recognition does not magically generate regional recognition! Offering programs that can compete with other regional universities, producing a killer website (because they’re increasingly important for out-of-state prospects), and alumni who don’t stay close to the nest are what spread a school’s reputation. All of these are things that Villa Julie seems to be deficient in.
I like the name Billiart University. It keeps with the roots of the school by connecting it to the founder, Julie Billiart, but has nothing to do with the region or area. I also think it has a prestigious ring to it!
Another horrible decision by the new administration. The college is now run like a business, just ask any faculty member. Mark these words, Comcast will have its name posted all over that campus by the end of the year!
I’ve also had many job opportunities just by showing my resume and the employer noticing that I’ve graduated from VJC. I refuse to change the name on my resume, because Stevenson University is not where I graduated from. After 4 long years of hard work and lots of tuition paid, I’m still going to say I graduated from VJC.