Your Questions, Our Answers

Students, alumnae and some friends of St. Catherine's have raised good questions about the Board of Trustees' decision to rename the College a University.

Questions have ranged from the practical ("Which name will be on my diploma?") to the more ambitious ("Will you create a master’s in creative writing program?").

Below are select questions that reflect the tenor of what is being asked, along with answers that represent what we know today. Please keep returning to this website for updates and more information.

Will St. Catherine's still be able to offer associate programs as a university?
Yes.

Does the change to university mean that the undergraduate program will become co-ed?
Definitely not! The Board of Trustees and administration are firmly committed to keeping the women-only baccalaureate program. By federal law, graduate programs must be open to both men and women. However, that is not true at the baccalaureate level. Because education for women is our greatest distinguisher and central to everything we do, the College has reinforced its commitment to a women-only baccalaureate program.

Will the move to university mean higher tuition?
Although tuition will continue to increase slightly at St. Kate's, as it will at every institution of higher learning, the move to university will not affect the tuition structure.

Won’t the move to university “cheapen” the image of St. Catherine's?
The Board of Trustees, the administration and the University-College Task Team believe just the opposite. “University” more clearly reflects the complexity of the institution and will make it possible to create new structures (e.g., schools within the university) that will elevate our presence externally.

For instance, the School of Health significantly raised the visibility of the 21 healthcare programs St. Catherine’s offers. Applications in some programs were up by as much as 40 percent this year, largely due to the visibility of the School of Health. Other schools are under discussion, such as a School of Humanities, Arts and Sciences, and a School of Business and Leadership.

How will the change affect the courses students are required to take for graduation?
We currently have no plans to change the requirements for graduation. Liberal arts courses will continue to play an important role at all levels of education at St. Catherine's.

Why is "university" considered more prestigious than “college”?
Three independently conducted, national student surveys indicate that about 75 percent of today’s students pursuing higher education prefer universities over colleges. Our current students applied to a range of institutions before they came to St. Kate’s, including private and public universities.

In addition, in our U.S. News & World Report classification of schools, we are one of the only institutions in the top 10 percent that is a college rather than a university.

Who was consulted about the name change, and how were undergraduate students involved?
The task team had the daunting task of discerning critical issues and concerns for a range of constituencies. Team members decided they would rely primarily on elected, representative groups for input and consultation.

Groups solicited for input included the Alumnae Association Board of Directors, the College Council and the Sisters of St. Joseph Province, as well as faculty and staff through the opening workshops last fall. Student groups included the undergraduate student Senate, the Weekend College Advisory Board, the Graduate Advisory Board and the Associate Advisory Board.

Which name will be on my diploma?
Students who graduated this May or who will graduate in December 2008 or May 2009 will graduate from the College of St. Catherine. Current students graduating after that may have the option to choose which name they want on their diplomas. Graduates can use either name on their résumés.

The close, collegial atmosphere of St. Kate’s fits more with the term "college" than "university." Will prospective students searching for a smaller institution get confused?
We can use a variety of messages and techniques to make sure that the public knows we are still the warm, engaging place we have always been. At heart, the name change will not change who we are — Catholic, liberal arts, with a women-only undergraduate college that offers personalized attention.

A name change is expensive. How can the College justify that expense?
Because the change won’t take effect till June 2009, we have time to make cost-effective decisions. Already we are ordering fewer quantities of stationery and business cards, for example, or any item that carries the current College logo.

Other expenses will include advertising, which the College does anyway to reach prospective students, and "re-branding" work to describe ourselves more holistically. Much of this work needed to be done anyway. The College of St. Catherine is not yet known for the wide range of programs and degree choices that we offer.

If you’d like to submit a different question, use our Ask A Question form.