By now, I would assume most of you have heard that Marist College will be officially Marist University, with the change happening with a big celebration in late January (I'm too lazy to look up the Actual Date). This was announced on Wednesday to much excitement and enthusiasm. So. What does this MEAN? A lot. And not a lot.
For context? Many other MAAC schools have changed status from College to University -- most recently, Manhattan and Iona. But within the past decade (or so) also Canisius and St. Peter's. In fact! By my count? The only two MAAC schools that remain "College" are Siena and Merrimack. In almost all cases, the Universities were once Colleges. So? It's definitely a TREND.
While there are many "reasons" for this change (and please, don't ask me! I'm just the idiot holding the stopwatch over here), one of the primary ones (in my mind) is the global perception. In other countries, higher education means "going to university" while college connotes secondary education (more like, you know, high school). Now that we have a branch campus in Florence, Italy, and we have been expanding our international footprint, the change makes sense.
In terms of "designation"? It goes by state, and in New York, the only "requirement" is having a certain number of post-graduate degree programs. We have met or exceeded that threshold for a long time. So it's not like we just "qualified" for university status recently.
A few other thoughts:
--This won't affect enrollment. We're not looking to grow enrollment. University status does not mean we will have a student body like Penn State. The MAAC schools that are now universities are no bigger than they were as colleges, or if there was growth it was "normal" growth (if that makes sense).
--We won't have new athletics logos. Nothing changes there. In my case, this means my "Marist flannels" don't need to be updated (phew).
--Athletic funding (scholarships) won't increase because we are a university. I've been asked that a LOT.
--If you are an alum, your diploma/degree remains valid as "Marist College" = you won't need a new one that says Marist University.
--This has nothing to do with the track construction. Which, by the way! Is going REALLY REALLY well and it's EXTREMELY EXCITING.
--A lot of students (while mostly giggling?) have brought up that we will be MU -- you know, like Monsters University from Monsters Inc. This should surprise no one who knows me well but ... I don't get this reference at all. I've never seen Monsters Inc., or any of their spinoff movies, etc. Or, more accurately, it may well have been playing on our TV set when our kids were younger and I may well have started watching the movie, only to drift, uninterested, into an inappropriate nap.
You see? You don't get this sort of incisive analysis just anywhere, do you!
So yeah. There you go. Marist College will become Marist University. (I guess that's) Neat!?!?
