Saint Peter's College to become N.J.'s latest university

August 14, 2012, 6:16 AM
By Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger

JERSEY CITY ? More than 140 years after it was founded as a small liberal arts school in Jersey City, Saint Peter?s College is about to become New Jersey?s newest university.

School officials are expected to officially announce the new name ? Saint Peter?s University ? and unveil a new logo and seal today. Saint Peter?s will be the state?s third Catholic university, joining Seton Hall and Georgian Court.

The leap from college to university comes after years of expansion at the 3,000-student school, which began adding graduate programs in the 1990s. Earlier this year, Rochelle Hendricks, the state?s higher education secretary, approved Saint Peter?s application for university status.

Though it will have a new name and plans to further expand its graduate programs, Saint Peter?s will stick to it original mission as a Jesuit liberal arts college focused on undergraduates.

"Our basic way of operating is not going to change," said Eugene Cornacchia, president of Saint Peter?s. "Those are components of the college that will never change."

Though Saint Peter?s is officially unveiling its new identity today, the name change will become official Friday after the school?s attorneys file legal papers, Cornacchia said.

The criteria for university status varies from state to state. In most cases, schools are required to offer master?s or doctoral programs in order to call themselves universities.

New Jersey began relaxing its rules on granting university status in the 1990s, allowing colleges to become universities if they expanded their graduate programs, added majors and built up their libraries. Kean, Rider, Monmouth, William Paterson, Montclair State and Georgian Court were among the schools that became universities under the new rules.

Saint Peter?s began talking about applying for university status 15 years ago, but did not begin assembling its application until four years ago. Because the school already offers five master?s and two doctoral degrees, campus administrators said its bid for university status was relatively simple and inexpensive.

College officials said they wanted to make the change partly because being called a university will raise the school?s profile internationally and help attract more foreign students.

The college hired a branding and market research consulting firm to help remake its image. The new name means new stationery, signs, a new web address and renamed Twitter and Facebook sites.

Today, Saint Peter?s will also unveil a new logo with a new blue-and-white coat of arms. The new shield includes two keys symbolizing the Christian teaching that Saint Peter holds the keys to Heaven.

School officials have been reassuring students that Saint Peter?s, which charges undergraduates $30,320 in annual tuition ? plus fees, will not raise its prices because it is now a university.

Students on the Jersey City campus said they were excited about the new name, which will begin appearing on their diplomas this year.

"University sounds a lot bigger than college," said Amanda Schaffer, 21, a senior graphic design major from Jersey City. "The first thing I plan to do is get a t-shirt that says ?Saint Peter?s University.?"

Cornacchia said Saint Peter?s briefly considered a radical name change to go along with the upgrade to university status. But the president rejected a list of proposed names, including one that would have renamed the school Loyola and another that would have incorporated New Jersey into the new moniker.

In the end, Cornacchia decided Saint Peter?s should stay Saint Peter?s.

"For 140 years we?ve had Saint Peter?s in our name," Cornacchia said. "We?re not going to change now."

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