Jackson Jambalaya

There will be no day of my life that I refer to it by another name than Mississippi College.

If only the MC alumni base were as energized as that of MUW to reject stupid name changes loudly and forcefully.

It will continue to be called Mississippi College by everyone over 40, just like the Gulf of America will always be called the Gulf of Mexico.

@2:24

There is a reason to switch from "college" to "university". I cant recall what those reasons are right now but Belhaven outlined them when they switched years ago. They aren't changing the name because someone thought the new one sounded better.

2:24-blame all the two year schools that now are "college" instead of 'community college'... to anyone outside of the region, MC looked at as a two year school, simply because of the name "college".

2:47, That is correct. I will not change my vocabulary to stroke the egos of crazy people (or social media).

"Mississippi Christian University School of Law" sounds even worse than the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

In a day and age where the tent for students to attend college needs to be larger, MC found a way to make the tent smaller for no reason whatsoever.

If you are having to explain that "Mississippi College" is a full-scale university, then you're talking to someone who will likely ask even more questions when you tell them "Mississippi Christian University" is not a made up private school borne during the days of integration.

Mississippi College Changes Name. There, FIFY.

In the overall scheme of things is this really worth all of the whining and hand ringing? Focus on some real problems in your lives (like your whiny attitudes).

in the American sense of 'college' and 'university,' no one gives a shit about the difference. MC made the wrong call, choosing for whatever reasons to toss out the brand recognition they have built over the last (checks notes) 200 years (!).

You don't see any Boston College alums or prospects clamoring for "Boston University of Catholic Studies and Research Excellence."

It will never be anything other than Mississippi College ("MC") to me.

Part is probably driven by (1) they are a university (granting graduate or terminal degrees), (2) they probably think the name was getting lost in the sauce, although, I'm not sure the new one is any better on some level; however, there is something to be said for throwing in "Christian" as it brands harder, hits stronger on a Google search.

With so much of a higher ed in turmoil, institutions closing, they probably thought this would strengthen their position down the road. Despite it ruffling some feathers now, this convo won't matter in 20 years.

I don't know why they cut the football program though. They should have at least tried to go back down to D3, though there's been some whiplash on that.

"The University’s new name is a strategic, forward-looking decision that better reflects the school’s Christian mission, academic scope and long-term vision."

" it is a needed step forward that will help drive MC into the future. They are excited to be a part of this moment that will lead to an even stronger sense of commitment and affection for what ‘Mississippi Christian’ stands for.”

I'm so tired of this BS politically correct language. I graduated from MC, and will continue to only call it Mississippi College. Blake just wants another resume builder for when he leaves.

MC-Hollis - Glenny School of bullshit

This is a case of too many people in a small room talking to each other until they decide the bad idea is a good idea.

Crap minor schools change their uniforms every other year. UAB, Louisiana Monroe, SE Louisiana, Memphis for example. You don't see Bama, LSU or Texas ever changing stuff.

Same for these naming arrangements. All a name change does is tell me you are desperately trying to be relevant. Which tells me you aren't.

2:47– BINGO— leave something alone. Mississippi College has always been Mississippi College. The Gulf of Mexico has always been the Gulf of Mexico. The end.

Sorry, Neptune...The former Gulf of Mexico is now the Gulf of Dixie. Every state touched by the Gulf is a Dixie state.

Much to the disdain of Tater-Reeves, the Confederate First National will be unfurled along the Mississippi coastline.

You're whining about the name change, yet you want them to keep their football team. WTF? Here's a question for you: why do any of the DII or DIII schools have teams or even the bottom 80 of Div-1? Riddle me that!

This happened because of weak leadership. Dr. Thompson is a weak leader and hardly ever on campus.

Saying he is hardly ever on campus is a strange comment. I've met parents out of state who have met him on campus while visiting their child. He greeted the student by name. The parents were impressed that the President of the school would know their child by name. He engages with students regularly. Presidents of universities are often off campus. Among the obligations of a president are responsibilities is to raise money, connect with alums, and build relationships with the legislature, etc. If he were hiding in his office on campus, that would be a big concern. He isn't. As far as the name change, it has been an ongoing discussion for 30 years. Outside of Mississippi, relatively few people know of Mississippi College (which sounds like a community college to them). Recruiting out of state is ever more important with declining college age student population in the near future. The name change is part of the recognition that recruiting out of state will become increasingly important for the school. It's not about his ego, whatever you may think. It's more about positioning for future needs.

@4:58 Not saying ditching football won't be fine for them long term. Considering MC has some not insignificant gridiron history it's just somewhat surprising. Even in the NIL, go big or go bust, for small schools, it can be a given, and maybe much needed, 75-100 extra bodies paying tuition every year, which can help as long as you watch your margins. Even if only mom and dad are only ones showing up to watch. Considering it's the South too, not having football is going to affect the campus dynamics/student body vibes in certain ways down the road; will be interesting to see how it plays out.

In Chinese, the Gulf of Mexico is called 墨西哥湾 (Mòxīgē Wān).

Here is the literal breakdown of the characters:

墨西 (Mòxīgē): The phonetic transliteration for "Mexico"

湾 (Wān): Gulf or bay

This is all that matters since China is a nearly 7000 year old civilization and The United States of America is unlikely to exist past this century.

This has been 20 years in process. President Royce began the conversation/idea and the fact it took this long to *change a name* should be a business case study in itself.

Years ago the designation "university" carried quite a meaning in Mississippi. There were certain requirements that had to be met to go beyond the basic standards and offerings of a "college". That all changed when Jackson State achieved the requirements and requested "university" status with UM, MSU, and USM. Mississippi and it's IHL would not allow it so they simply said that henceforth the title "university" had no meaning and all colleges could be called "university"... That really happened.

So, should Millsaps change its name to "Mississippi Thine Here Ain't No God University" (MS THANG U) or "Millscraps?"

I didn’t go there, and I know that many won’t like it and that it will take time to adjust to the new name. I can support them making the change and publicly stating exactly for what, and with whom, they stand. There’s nothing lukewarm about that name change. I find it quite inspiring. It’s a lot better than Brightwell University.

Most people don’t care and most will still call it MC. I wonder how many actually know the actual name of TCU?

Concerning the sports teams, schools like MC and William Carey have large endowments and many athletes get a full scholarship.

I am far more impressive as an alumni of a university rather than a college. I feel sorry for people who merely graduated from a "college."

I’m glad they’re not going to call it Mississippi Christian University School of Law, because that sounds like some turn-the-other-cheek, give-him-your-cloak, walk-another-mile-with-your-opponent weak-ass lawyer.

Wonder how many of the Luddites posting here contribute in any significant way to the school.

Next up - "MCU joins the Ivy League!" That, or "USNews reports that MCU is now ranked higher than at least a couple of online for-profit 'universities'" Old Missed, you'ins is on notice!

Nobody outside of Mississippi recognizes Mississippi College Law School

1:04 absolutely incorrect.

The name change and the reasons given for it clearly define the school's guiding principle of indoctrination not education. At least there is honesty there. Unfortunately, it labels the graduate with a negative pre-conceived perception in the eyes of intelligent people that is difficult to overcome, perhaps rightly so.

Love to see someone post a comment and pretend to be a different person and praise their own comment.

The singular form of the word, 9:44, is 'Alumnus'.

Bold of you to insult the millions of Christians on this planet by implying they are less than intelligent. Your arrogance and condescension is noted.

Let me explain this. MC has managed to grow while peers like Millsaps have dwindled by appealing to two demographics: culturally Christian evangelical families and international students.

Those two groups represent the difference between moderate growth (or more recently, at least treading water in the enrollment cliff era) and seeing your enrollment cut in half like Millsaps.

Evangelicals look for the "Christian" part. Internationals look for the "university" part, as the distinction between a "college" and "university" in some parts of the world is like the distinction between a community college and a university here.

Whatever attachment you have to the old name, the change was an absolute no brainer for them.

@5:33 such a stupid comment. Who gives a damn about what they call the Gulf in China. They certainly didn’t know anything about the existence of the body of water for 7000 years. They undoubtably got the name from the Spanish some 500 years ago.

Reminds me of a couple of jokes, altered for the circumstance.

Joke # 1: Two guys are taking leaks in side-by-side urinals and finish at the same time. One guy starts for the door and the other says, "You know, at Mississippi College, we were taught it was proper hygiene to wash our hands after using the restroom." The other guy says, "Figures. Those of us smart enough to get into Mississippi Christian University learned early on not to piss all over our hands."

Joke # 2, more bathroom humor: Two guys are taking a leak, side-by-side, and the first one says, "Hey, sorry, but I couldn't help notice you are married to a gal named Missy, too! I wish I'd thought about having the exclamation point added!" The second guy says, "What in the hell are you talking about? I'm not even married." "Oh, well, I noticed that your dick has a tattoo that says, "Missy!" on it and so do I, so I just thought..." "Mine doesn't say 'Missy!,' it says, 'Mississippi College? Fuck that. We're now Mississippi Christian University!'"

Actually, that reminds me of a third one: A guy goes into a tattoo parlor and asks if they can put Col. Reb and the Stars-and-Bars on his pecker. "Well, we can, but you'll have to come back next month." "Why the long wait?" "We only use the finest equipment and our microscope had to be sent to Germany for servicing..."

Regarding the community college comment, I think our state’s two-year institutions made the change from “junior college” because many of their programs prepare students for the workforce without needing to earn a four-year degree. To my knowledge the only Mississippi two-year institution that refused to move from “junior college” to “community college” in name is the one located in the Free State of Jones, and in fact, moved to using the name Jones College several years ago, because after all, they are the Free State of Jones.

"China is a nearly 7000 year old civilization and The United States of America is unlikely to exist past this century."

Actually, the China we all know and despise is only about 77 years old. It was officially born on October 1, 1949, when the Chinese Communist Party renamed it the People's Republic of China and took over total control of the government, law enforcement, military, media, etc.

If you really want to go back to the beginning, China dates back to 1921, when the Bolsheviks help found the Chinese Communist Party.

Well the way the handled shutting down the football program and firing all the staff and coaches sure wasn’t very “Christian”.

1:04 AM- Nobody? For years, I believe MC Law required passing the bar, not UM Law (not sure if that’s correct 100%), but I do know that for many years, MC Law did have a higher pass rate on the bar than UM.

As far as outside of Mississippi, nobody recognizes UM Law either. It’s an extremely average law school with very moderate standards.

A very short sighted decision by people known to be short sighted.

At least they didn't name it "Mississippi Baptist University"

@3:40 - It’s a comment section, people give their opinions. I could ask the same thing of Mississippi College, is it really worth all the expense to change the name? I’ve got a degree from them and it just went down in value because of this. Maybe MC could’ve spent all that money on some better facilities or cheaper tuition or you know some real problems.

@8:55 - I share their opinion. The value of every degree they awarded just went down. 7:08 never said Christians are less intelligent, that’s just you trying to be a victim which seems to be a real problem with “christians” these days. The religion-affiliated schools have that poor reputation through their own actions. Sometimes choosing to associate with a group affects your reputation like that. Dumb and expensive move on MC’s part. Keep playing the dumb victim though, I’m sure that’ll work out great.