By Maia Sapp, Staff Writer
Lindsey Wilson College could soon become Lindsey Wilson University, according to LWC President William Luckey.
If all goes well with current discussions, students and the surrounding community can expect this change to take place by July 1, 2025.
“It's just something I've got to hear about from more people,” Luckey said. “I've got to get more feedback to process and digest, but if the Board [of Trustees] were to take a vote today, they would definitely want to do it.”
Luckey said this type of change has been a topic of discussion among administration and faculty members for years, beginning at when the doctoral program was first added. He said another factor that contributed to these conversations came from Lindsey’s “impressive composition,” with 60 percent of the overall student body now being graduate students.
If and when the name change goes into effect, steps have already been taken to make the hypothetical transition smoother. Luckey said such steps include recent Lindsey Wilson gear and merchandise excluding the “C” in the title.
Many colleges prefer a name change to a university in hopes of changing their public perception, as some people may have negative preconceived notions of the term. Consequently, colleges that are struggling with their admissions may call themselves a university in order to entice more students.
“The college [LWC] is doing incredibly well,” Luckey said. “We would be doing it for the right reasons and not because we are desperate.”
“The college [LWC] is doing incredibly well,” Luckey said. “We would be doing it for the right reasons and not because we are desperate.”
Luckey also emphasized that the change would be in name only.
“We're still very much a teaching institution and students are at the very heart of everything we do, and whether we call ourselves college or university, I do not see that changing.”
“We're still very much a teaching institution and students are at the very heart of everything we do, and whether we call ourselves college or university, I do not see that changing.”