Administration Announces Name Change for Andrews

New British-style name reflects European connections

Andrews University will change its name to Andrews-Upon-St. Joseph, administration announced Thursday. This change is part of the new five-year strategic plan to transition the University to a British institution.

“Britain has a strong tradition of excellence in academics,” says Christon Arthur, provost. “Some of the world’s most brilliant minds attend and have attended Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and we want to be part of that.”

Since Andrea Luxton moved into her role as president in July 2016, the Board of Trustees has been discussing options for a more British-styled name for the University.

“We chose Andrews-Upon-St. Joseph because it is reminiscent of the standard British way of naming towns located next to rivers, and there is a river right here on our campus,” Arthur explains. “Also, many people around the world are already aware of St. Andrews University in Scotland, famous for its royal graduates."

St. Andrews University has garnered much attention in recent years as the institution which introduced Prince William and Kate Middleton.

“When trying to follow mentions of the University's name in traditional and social media, we found it frustrating that so many times we were receiving erroneous notifications that were really for the university in Scotland,” says Stephen Payne, VP for Integrated Marketing & Communication. “We finally decided that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Now maybe we’ll get more students if we use a similar name."

Though the Board briefly considered simply using St. Andrews University, the sainting of J.N. Andrews inferred in such a name made many members of the Board and University administration uncomfortable. The switch to using the river’s name was a simple, agreeable alternative.

“Probably the most well-known town in Great Britain using this naming scheme is Stratford-Upon-Avon,” says Meredith Jones Gray, chair of the Department of English. “William Shakespeare was born there, and in addition to reflecting our new British culture, we feel this new name pays homage to the Bard, who is widely considered to be the most famous writer in the English language.”

The University will officially become Andrews-Upon-St. Joseph on July 1, the one-year anniversary of President Luxton taking office.