I am taking the time to write this in the hope that this reaches someone with an ounce of sense.

    On January 11th, I received a letter in the mail from Western Maryland College. This letter detailed an all-campus meeting that was to be held on the 11th regarding your intent to change the name of Western Maryland College.

    My initial reactions were of shock & disbelief.  I then wondered when you all developed pointy hair.

    How utterly ludicrous.  To claim that changing the name will somehow increase the prestige of WMC is like saying that by renaming cats to birds, all felines will, within 10 years, sprout wings and feathers.

    One may go out to a field and pick up some cow manure.  You can take it home, spray it with perfume, wrap it up in a pretty box with a glittery bow, and call it SuperFertilizer 2002 -- but it doesn't change the fact that your product is *still* cow manure.

    Names may convey prestige, but they do not confer it.  To translate this for the vocabulary-challenged, prestige is something that is earned by excellence in one or more areas, not because of what a college is called.  The University of Miami is not prestigious because of its location relative to Miami, but because of its football program.  Oxford, Yale, Princeton, Harvard -- all of these earned their prestige through academic excellence -- not through the random collection of letters that make up their names.

    So now that we have ruled out prestige as a reason for the name change, lets turn to another "reason": the location issue.  To be blunt: so what??!??  If the college has established a consistently high level of academic excellence, the name and location become irrelevant.  Perhaps if the same amount of energy that has been wasted on the decision to change the name had instead been used to improve the college, President Coley's goals would have already been met.

    The only other reason I can come up with to change the name is the almighty dollar.  Now, I am not so naive as to think that the college can run on good thoughts and wishes.  But to sell the name to the highest bidder is repulsive and undermines any semblance of integrity that remains at Western Maryland College.  To be fair, this was not mentioned as an option, but then too, if I was considering doing that, I wouldn't mention it either.

    It is my considered opinion that the services of the consulting firm of Lipman Hearne be terminated immediately and the funds that are being wasted on them instead be redirected to improving the academic & extracurricular lives of the college.  Only by improving these areas does Western Maryland College have a chance of being "recognized as one of the finest private liberal arts colleges in the nation.”  What's more, the funds that will be wasted on the massive name change (all stationery, signage, clothing, advertising materials, etc.) can also be used towards improving these areas.

    I note from the online petition found at http://www.petitiononline.com/WMC/petition.html (which, at the time of this writing, has nearly 750 signatures), that there are STILL complaints over housing.  Perhaps all this wasted money could be funneled into resolving a problem that existed 14 years ago, which is when I began my undergraduate studies there.  In fact, I wonder if the wiring in McDaniel Hall has been replaced since 1990, since the insulation was crumbling then, and I doubt it has spontaneously regained its integrity in the intervening years.

   Another matter that will plague your alumni will be found on their resumes.  Most of us have the name of Western Maryland College somewhere on their resume.  What happens if you go through with this ill-advised name change and some potential employer calls to get information?  I can hear it now "Thank you for calling XYZ College!  How may I direct your call?"  "Hmmm.  They said they went to Western Maryland...but that's not the number they gave.  Are they lying about their degree?"

    Now, I turn my attention to another matter.  As I noted in the opening paragraphs of this letter, I received the letter bearing this announcement on the same day that the all-campus meeting was to be held.  In fact, it was dated only 2 days before the meeting was to be held.  I have rarely seen such an egregious crock of manure from anyone but the college adminstration.  I live in Bethesda, MD, approximately 45 minutes drive from the college.  You may rest assured that had I had the letter any earlier, I would have been there to voice my disapproval.  If I, one of the closer alumni, did not get this until it was too late, certainly my former schoolmates who live further away didn't either.  This suggests that you (both President Coley & the BoT) do not care about the views of the students and alumni of this institution.

    You do remember them, don't you?  They're the reason that you exist and have jobs?  As in, without them, you'ld be collecting unemployment checks and sitting at home watching soap operas?

    The Board should look at their titles once again:  Trustees.

    Take particular notice of the first five letters.

    Trust.

    By embarking on this ill-advised and ludicrous journey, the Board has violated the trust of the students, faculty, staff, & alumni of Western Maryland College.  The trust that was placed in them that they will do what is best for the college.  The trust that they would ignore costly, irrelevant & superficial changes that will not benefit the college in any way.

    It's nice to see that some things haven't changed in the 10 years since I graduated.  The administration is still engaging in pointless & idiotic acts.  The nickname of "Whimsy" still applies, for there is no rational reason, grounded in fact, that this change should take place.

    I invite response to this open letter, which has been posted on my website at http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/centerport/823/openWMCletter.html,  whether from Trustees, President Coley, or any other member of the community of Western Maryland College.  Please feel free to respond by e-mail to Grayhawk2@juno.com.

Sincerely,

Frank N. Huminski
Class of 1992

    P.S.:  My wife, Monica M. Huminski (nee Benson), of the class of 1990, agrees with the sentinments expressed in this letter as well.  Please consider us both opposed to this Very Bad Idea.