Villa Julie College went coeducational in 1972 and became a four-year school in 1984, but a lot of guidance counselors don't seem to know that.

The college separated from the Roman Catholic Church four decades ago, but to many employers and would-be students the words "Villa Julie" still summon images of a religious institution.

Now the suburban Baltimore college is considering changing its name.

"There are people who don't open our envelopes because they think we're a two-year girls college," said Glenda LeGendre, vice president for marketing and public relations at Villa Julie.

It's too soon to know what, if any changes, will be made, LeGendre said, but she added: "We'd like to be more recognized for who we are today."

Some say that if the college is going to change its name, now is the time.

The 60-year-old private school is in the midst of an unprecedented growth spurt. In recent years, it has more than doubled in size, with the opening of new dormitories and classrooms at an Owings Mills site to complement the campus in the Stevenson area of Baltimore County's Green Spring Valley.

Construction of a 60,000-square-foot academic building that will house a newly organized school of business began a few months ago, and the college has received approval from its board to become a university.

No one is ruling out the possibility that Villa Julie College might simply become Villa Julie University. But how does Greenspring Valley University sound? Or Billiart University or Seven Oaks U?

Those and other suggestions are on the table.

"It's a great move to be able to grow the college to a university status," said Gregory Stanley, an art professor at the college. "Certainly, with that change, I think there does need to be a name change that's a reflection of the new school. The current perception is that it's a Catholic girls school."

Others are against tinkering with the school's identity.

"They worked so hard to get recognized for Villa Julie College," said freshman Kessie Gress, 17. "If they change the name completely, they're going to have to go through the whole process again."

Mindful of the importance of image and "branding," institutions of higher learning across the country have grappled with names that had outlived their usefulness.

"Colleges and universities need to compete for the best professors, the best students, and the best funds," said Mark Gobe, chief executive officer and chairman of Desgrippes Gobe, an international branding and design company. "Colleges and universities are increasingly trying to recognize what their markets are and are creating images to reach those markets."

Beaver College, with a name that became talk-show fodder, became Arcadia University. Trenton State College changed its name to the College of New Jersey.

A decade ago, Towson State University became Towson University, a move designed to enhance the school's image and dispel from donors the notion that the school is fully financed by the state.

Salisbury State University became Salisbury University for similar reasons, with the president also acknowledging that the "Salisbury steak" jokes had become tiresome.

After much consideration, the then-Maryland Institute, College of Art, formally removed the comma from its name to erase the sense of division that the punctuation mark conveyed.

But the local name change that seemed to spark the most controversy played out in Carroll County, where Western Maryland College became McDaniel College. The old name sounded to some like a state college. And the school, named after a railroad company, is more suburban Baltimore than Western Maryland.

Still, the change - the school was renamed for William R. McDaniel, an educator who had been affiliated with the college for more than 60 years - irks some alumni to this day.

"I'm still hurt," said Sherod B. Heckle, a 1984 graduate and former spokeswoman for the Coalition to Preserve the Name of Western Maryland College. "I vowed I wouldn't set foot on the campus. I have no connection to that school anymore."

She said she would feel sad for Villa Julie students and alumni if the name is drastically changed.

"I assume that they'll feel the same way that we do, like our history has been stripped away from us," she said.

Villa Julie was named for St. Julie Billiart, founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. "Villa" refers to the mansion on the property, which the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur used as an infirmary. The school was founded in 1947 as a college for women, specializing in medical-secretarial training.

Villa Julie became an independent institution when it separated from the Catholic church in 1967.

In 2004, the college opened its first school-owned housing complex in Owings Mills.

Now the 80-acre site houses 10 residential buildings, classrooms and study lounges, a community center, a dining area, and the Caves Sports and Wellness Center at the former training facility of the Baltimore Ravens. The new school of business is scheduled to open on the Owings Mills campus in the fall of next year.

LeGendre, the spokeswoman, described Villa Julie as a "career-focused college with a liberal arts bent."

The school has about 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The most popular majors at the school are nursing, education and business.

About three years ago, a committee of administrators, teachers, staff, students and alumni was formed to discuss the possibility of Villa Julie pursuing university status. In the summer of last year, Villa Julie, which several years earlier had marketed itself as "The Name That Opens Doors," began conducting research on a possible name change.

A telephone survey was conducted this summer by a market research firm on perceptions in and outside of the Baltimore area. Interviewees included business leaders, college recruiters, guidance counselors, high school students and parents.

Based on the name, most professionals and high school students perceived the school as a small, religiously affiliated liberal arts college.

LeGendre said no timetable has been set for the school's board to decide whether the name will be changed. And the name Villa Julie will remain, if not for the entire college then for an entity there, such as one of its schools.

The college has created a discussion board on its Web site for students, alumni, faculty, staff and others to suggest names.

Many who have posted support the name Villa Julie University. Other suggestions include Stevenson University, Greenspring Valley University, Seven Oaks University and Valley Mills University.

Seven Oaks was the original name of the estate on which Villa Julie was founded. "Valley Mills" is a combination of the two Villa Julie locations, Green Spring Valley and Owings Mills.

William Porter, 18, a freshman business administration major, said he favors keeping Villa Julie in the name.

"It's tradition," he said. "They should just make it VJU, as opposed to something else."

The president of McDaniel College said her school's new name cleared up misconceptions. Joan Develin Coley also offered her colleagues at Villa Julie an idea of what they can look forward to if they make a change.

"What they need to expect is some negative feedback from students and alumni because it's an emotional issue," she said.

jenny.choi@baltsun.com

Timeline

1947 Villa Julie College, a Catholic, all-female school specializing in medical-secretarial training, is founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

1954 The Maryland State Department of Education grants the school official approval as a two-year college.

1967 The college separates from the Roman Catholic Church, becoming an independent institution.

1972 The school becomes coeducational.

1984 Villa Julie becomes a four-year college.

2001 The School of Graduate and Professional Studies opens.

2004 The first college-owned housing complex opens on a new campus in Owings Mills.

2007 The college conducts market research as it considers changing its name.

[Source: Villa Julie College]