The Loyola College in Maryland is changing its name to Loyola University Maryland in late August, which has ruffled the feathers of many alumni who feel the switch would put the “corporate image in front of [the school’s] principal role of educating men and women.”

The Baltimore Sun contacted Loyola’s president and found out why the board of trustees voted to piss on change the 156-year-old name:

"The college logo does not communicate the richness and distinctiveness of the institution," said Loyola's president, the Rev. Brian F. Linnane. He said he wanted to lift up graduate programs that sometimes look like "afterthoughts" because of the "college" designation.

 

Loyola has graduate programs in business, computer science, pastoral counseling and clinical psychology, among others. And with so many students studying abroad and coming from overseas to study at Loyola, the term university will better signal the school's mission, he said.

Hmm – “university” may sound more prestigious than “college,” but that doesn’t mean the change will affect the public’s perception of the school -- at all.

In fact, it’s more likely to confuse prospective students than entice them, especially when they google “Loyola University Maryland” and see “University of Maryland” in the search results.

If that happens, Loyola, you’re screwed.