It looks as though Mississippi State University will not have a new campus at Columbus after all. Roy Klumb, a member of the
Board of Trustees, the governing body of the State Institutions of Higher Learning, proposed that Mississippi University for Women become a private school or integrate as a branch of Mississippi State. He made the proposal in a letter to The Commercial Dispatch of Columbus.
Klumb, who has been noted for his criticism of the number of universities maintained by the state, also suggested that Delta State University and Mississippi Valley State University merge.
Klumb said in the letter that MUW’s declining student population (500 less than last year, and 1,000 less than the high in 1998) and its female-oriented mission statement made it’s chances for success “almost nil.”
Despite Klumb’s view, College Board President Bill Crawford issued a press release saying, “Any board member can dispense an individual statement about board issues, but in this case, Mr. Klumb’s statement is contrary to the official position of the board.”
Crawford’s release said very clearly, “The board is not pursuing closing or merger of MUW or Mississippi Valley State University.”
MUW Interim President Lenore Prather released a letter to the “MUW Family” citing Crawford’s remarks and other board members’ statements that she summed up by stating, “Simply put, the W is here to stay.”
“The W is an outstanding university, and we will continue to contribute to the educational development of Mississippians and our students from outside the state as we have for more than a century,” Prather said. “We are an essential component of Mississippi’s system of higher education. Like every university, we have challenges to face. Together, we will face them directly and decisively, and this university will prevail.”
MUW was founded in 1884 as the first public college for women. It began admitting men in 1982, however, women make up approximately 86 percent of the student body.
This is not the first time an official proposed MUW integrate with MSU. The IHL Board, as a whole, made such a recommendation in 1994, but a federal judge turned down the suggestion.
In 1986, the board suggested that MUW close down altogether, but the proposal failed due to reaction from alumni and students.
MSU sophomore Katie West of Columbus said that while it might be good for MSU to have access to some of MUW’s programs, such as the strong nursing program there, the cost in heritage would be too high.
“If I was an alumni of MUW, I wouldn’t want the university I graduated from to be renamed to Mississippi State,” she said. “I think tradition has a lot to do with it.”
Angela Barkley, an MSU staff member with the Campus Crusade for Christ, said, “MUW has its own history with the people there. We are two different schools with two different programs. Mississippi is steeped in tradition, and when you try to do away with over 100 years of tradition, people tend to get upset.