Young Alums of Mississippi University for Women
The Long Blue Line grows every year as new W graduates are added to it. Like their predecessors, these young women and men are proud of their diplomas and their university. Also like their predecessors, they are smart and strong and not short on opinions.
By Anne Swearingen
The women and men of MUW have become well known throughout the state, region and nation as strong-minded individuals with a willingness to speak out and share their knowledge and opinions. Megan Stoner Morgan, 2008; Brandie Ashe, 2007; Bridget Smith Ellis, 2004 and Anne Marie Bailey, 2006, are recent graduates and typical of “W” alums, quick to share their feelings about the W’s future and the proposed name change.
W Should Remain
To these young alumnae, a name change that removes “Women” from the name of the university would also remove the unique and historic women-focused mission.
Bridget, publications specialist at First Baptist Church of Memphis, said she is especially concerned about the future of the W if it loses its historic mission. “I am vehemently against a name change for Mississippi University for Women, especially under the guise of gender bias. Changing the name of MUW to exclude Women would change the mission too.
“That would be a devastating blow to the school’s legacy and history,” she added. “The name means so much to so many people. To change the name is to erase everything the school and the students who have graduated stood for.”
Brandie, a graduate student at Georgia College & State University, said she is strongly opposed to a name change for the W, “for the simple reason that it seems like an arbitrary, unnecessary diversion from the real issues at hand at the university.”
She said those real issues boil down to one thing. “The administration of Claudia Limbert has been a string of disappointments for the W. When enrollment dips, when programs are canceled, when money seems to be disappearing, when people are unjustly terminated, and when members of the administration seem to doubt the intelligence of the students they claim to be so involved in educating, then I have to question from where all of these issues stem. And in my mind, it doesn't go back to the name. Enrollment hit its peak with the university still branded as MUW.
Brandie also had a suggestion for solving the W’s problems. “Here's the key: The university used to have a BRAND. People used to know what the W was. Now people who live in Mississippi don't even know what it is. It's lost its identity. I honestly think that we need a change in administration, not a change in name. And not only that, but we need a change in marketing, in recruiting. We need to RE-BRAND. Otherwise, we risk losing everything that makes the W so special to those who love her.”
“The current mission of educating women is responsible for giving me the confidence to set major goals for my life,” said Megan, a graduate student in English at the University of Georgia.
Brandie agreed with Megan that the women’s mission is especially important today. “I find the women's mission to be incredibly relevant. I think educating and promoting women to be strong, assertive leaders will always be a relevant issue in our society.
“Women should be given an opportunity to grow and learn in an environment filled with positive role models and an academic community working together to help prepare women for their future,” she said.
“I think that the women's mission of the W is definitely relevant today,” Anne Marie. “There are still girls all over the nation getting married because they don't think they are capable of anything else. There are still men who think a woman in the work force is just there to look pretty or fix coffee.
“While I was never directly taught about women's issues at the W, I came away much more feminist than I started because of the emphasis put on women. I tell people that, no matter your gender, you can't leave the W without some feminist ideals,” Anne Marie added. “Of course, the word 'feminist' brings looks of scorn or discomfort and until the world becomes aware that women are capable of being as strong as anyone else, the W, the W we know and love, will always be relevant.”
“A school -- a public university, no less -- that can promote a female emphasis is a unique commodity in undergraduate education,” she said, “if only The Powers That Be (MUW president and administration) were capable of capitalizing upon it.”
“I feel like a name change is not the answer,” said Anne Marie. “They (MUW President Claudia Limbert) say the W needs better branding and needs a more clear identity. Changing the name is not going to make up for flaws in marketing. A clear identity and better advertising (or just advertising at all) can solve those problems without changing the name.”
Bridget agreed. “I blame the lack of marketing of MUW that appeals to men and that also continues to focus on the school's historic mission for the decline in enrollment. A lack of leadership has kept the W from thriving and has also kept enrollment from increasing. Leadership would have helped the school during budget cuts (and the IHL rebalancing formula).
“Changing the name could actually hurt the identity of the W,” said Anne Marie, “by confusing it even further. Also, and this is a big one for me, the administration keeps stating that we mustn't be afraid of change; that to move forward, change is necessary. That may be a valid point, BUT traditions do not have to be destroyed, history does not have to be erased in order to move forward. Dr. Limbert has said that the name is not the heart and soul of the university. But its women's mission is. Change the name for the wrong reasons and you take away its purpose, its being.”
Why We Came to The W
To these four women, the mission is one reason they came to the W. The university’s small size is another.
Before she decided to go to the W, Megan had been accepted at several other universities, including Harvard.
Megan said she “fell in love with the old buildings at Harvard. However, I found out that most of my classes would be taught by graduate assistants and I would rarely (if ever) see or speak with ‘my’ professors, and I didn't want to be just a number in a grade book.
“When I visited the W and met the faculty, who called me by name and took a genuine interest in me, I knew I'd found the right place,” she said.
Brandie agrees and said her experience was similar. “As cheesy as it sounds, I truly found myself at the W.
“I entered college thinking I wanted to eventually go to law school, but I discovered my true calling during my junior year. Now I am in graduate school,” she said, “pursuing further study in English and literature and I hope to someday teach on the college level.
“I gained so much confidence at the W,” Brandie added. “I learned how to be assertive and less self-conscious about my own abilities, and I took on leadership roles that I may never have tackled had I gone to a larger university. And I discovered the best friends I've ever had, the most amazing, talented, intelligent group of women you could ever hope to meet.”
Brandie said that, had she not gone to the W, “I would have attended another small liberal arts college, like the University of Montevallo in Alabama or Berry College in Georgia, because I feel the atmosphere at smaller universities like these (and the W, of course) is more conducive to the type of focused education I find most valuable: smaller classes, more teacher-student interaction, a closer-knit campus than you can find at a larger state university.”
Anne Marie’s reasons are similar: “I chose the W because I fell in love with it at first sight. I was visiting on scholar's weekend around Christmas. I saw the campus with the lights up and I knew it was the place for me. At dinner, I met the then-president, Dr. Rent. She ate at my table. I didn't know she was the president and we chatted for a while and then she got up to speak. I was so shocked that I had casually had dinner with the president of the university!
“I knew I couldn't get that kind of experience anywhere else,” she said. “I only applied to the W; I couldn't imagine going to any other college. If I had gone to State or Ole Miss, no one would have known me; I would have been lost in the crowd.”
Bridget said she knew she was home the moment she set foot on the W campus. “The minute my parents and I stepped onto the campus for my freshmen orientation, there was a draw to the place and an energy I cannot describe. It was a true family.”
Bridget endured some tough times in college, but her MUW family made it easier to bear.
“When my mom was diagnosed with cancer in January 2004 I was overcome with the outpouring of love from my social club and organization friends, my teachers and other MUW employees. The nurturing affection I felt then as well as throughout my four years was something I know I could not have gotten at another school,” she said. “I still maintain a close relationship with many of my classmates, pledge sisters and faculty. Our unique connection is the W.”
Bridget’s view of the women’s mission as valuable was shared with her mother as they looked at colleges. “The only other colleges I was looking at (not seriously) were Hood College (all female in Maryland) and Millsaps. My mother was impressed with the single sex education I received in high school. That was a main criterion for my college search,” she said.
Megan said she visited several other universities during her college search, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. “I have observed that the personal interest in and respect for female students is often diminished in bigger, more male-oriented schools, and is certainly still an area of struggle in the academic world at large,” she noted.
Ideas for The W’s Future
Although their love for The W will always be a part of who they are, these W girls are deeply worried about their alma mater’s future and about the proposed name change they see as the first step in the creation of a generic university.
What should the W do to ensure a solid future?
Brandie: “I think the W needs an administration that is dedicated to promoting the university and recruiting academically gifted students. I think the administration (i.e. Dr. Limbert) needs to acknowledge the importance of alums in ensuring the continued well-being of the school instead of discounting or attempting to silence any dissenting or unfavorable views.”
Megan: “If we are to have a solid future, the university must stop alienating so many of its alumni. Who knows the programs, the faculty, the school itself better than women and men who graduated from there? Students aren't going to want to devote four years of their life to a school that won't appreciate them after they finish their degree save for an annual request for donations. We must market our strengths rather than focus on our weaknesses. We have devoted and outstanding faculty and a nurturing intellectual environment for students who are willing to work hard. That's rare in today's world, and we should try to make more prospective students aware of that. We also need leaders who are not looking for easy band-aid solutions to problems that require creative thought and devoted labor.
Bridget: “MUW has to embrace its past, which includes its Women's mission. There is NO other school like this in Mississippi. I don't see how being like other universities and colleges in the state will help build recruitment. Instead of downplaying our differences MUW should use these as the backbone of their recruitment strategies. An administration that supports MUW for what she has stood for over the years can truly market her as a gem. She has such a strong reputation that needs to be extended, not erased and rebranded.
Anne Marie: “To ensure a solid future, I think the W should embrace its rich traditions and look to the future. Embrace its alumni (young and old, female and male) with open arms; embrace its current student body; focus on identifying the W as a unique place. Because that is what it is! A completely unique place, with tons of history, great students, amazing faculty, wonderful and involved alumni. It is a university not ruled by its football schedule or its fraternity/sorority mixers. I'm not knocking those schools but they aren't for everyone. The W is a place for focused students who want a rich college experience, complete with social activities, interaction with faculty and alums, and preparation for the future. The W will not survive if it becomes another cookie cutter school. Why would we want another one of those?”
Young Alum Recommended Reading
MUW graduates – especially the English majors – love to read. And they love to recommend books. These recommendations – and what they read last -- come from our four recent members of the Long Blue Line:
Anne Marie
I am currently reading Peace in Every Step, a book about being mindful every day and enjoying the present. Before that, I read His Dark Materials books (The Golden Compass is the first in the series).
I have so many favorites that I don't think that I could recommend just one book. Here is my book advice: Read anything that tugs at your heart, challenges your views, takes you on an adventure or just makes you happy.
Brandie
The last non-school book: Fearless Fourteen, by Janet Evanovich. For classes: Frankenstein (for the hundredth time -- it never gets old!) by Mary Shelley.
My favorite book of all time, and the best piece of fiction in the history of American literature, is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I've read this book more times than I can count, and every single time I notice something new, or think about the story or the characters in a completely different way. In my opinion, it is, without a doubt, the greatest book of all time (yes, even surpassing James Joyce! Take that, literary critics).
Bridget
The last book I read was Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.
I recommend A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess to everyone I know.
Megan
The last book I read that I enjoyed was The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory. I love historical fiction, and Gregory writes some of the best. Technically, the last book I read was Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son, but that was for class and I didn't like it at all, so it doesn't count!
I would recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to anyone! It's so light-hearted and a breeze to read through. I absolutely adore it. Jane Austen's "Emma" is also a must-read.
Faculty & Class Favorites
Everyone has a favorite teacher and a favorite class. Many have more than one. Our young alums couldn’t choose just one.
Anne Marie
“My favorite classes were my painting classes, art history classes, and literature classes. I loved Dr. Keller in the English department. He was amazing; always able to keep me interested in class and even able to get me to participate. I also loved Alex Stelios-Wills and Dr. Beverly Joyce of the Art department. They were tough but made me work hard to excel. They really put a fire under me.”
Brandie
“Any literature class with Dr. James Keller was an experience that I can't describe in mere words. The art history classes I took with Dr. Beverly Joyce were a delight and gave me a new appreciation for the subject. And though I only had one class with her, Dr. Bridget Smith Pieschel is my personal heroine, and I loved being one of her student workers in the Southern Women’s Institute my senior year.
Bridget
“My favorite classes were Senior Seminar (Communication) and Writing for the Media. May favorite professors were Marty Hatton, Eric Harlan and Dr. Keller.
Megan
“My favorite classes were all in English! My fondest memory is probably of Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama with Dr. James Keller, which I took the spring of my senior year of high-school as part of MUW's dual-enrollment program. He re-enacted crucial scenes from the plays by standing atop his desk and waving his arms frantically, usually using relevant Monty Python skits for enlightenment. I also really loved Medievalism in the Modern World, which I had with Dr. Leslie Stratyner. We watched movies and discussed how they related to ideas that were centuries old. The thing I loved most about those two, and indeed all of the professors I had at the W, was their genuine respect for an interest in me as a student. Without their encouragement I wouldn't have continued on to graduate school or planned to become a professor myself.”
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