Senate resists changing names of state colleges

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bill changing the names of Southwest Missouri State University and three state colleges faced tough opposition Wednesday from Senate supporters of the University of Missouri system.

Senators debated about 90 minutes but did not vote on the bill, which already had passed the House. It was unclear if the bill would receive further debate with a little more than a week left in the legislative session.

The centerpiece of the legislation is deletion of the word "Southwest" from the name of the Springfield university, making it simply Missouri State University.

In addition, three state colleges -- Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Missouri Southern in Joplin and Harris-Stowe in St. Louis -- would all become universities.

"In changing the name of SMSU we would be greatly enhancing all the universities in the state," said sponsoring Sen. Roseann Bentley, R-Springfield. "Educational institutions should be able to reach their full potential."

The University of Missouri -- the state's flagship, four-campus system -- should not feel threatened by name changes, she said.