WHEELING, W.Va. — Wheeling Jesuit University has apparently changed its name to Wheeling University.
The front page of the school’s website indicated the change Thursday evening although there were still plenty of references on the site to Wheeling Jesuit University, WJU.
The school’s board of trustees met Wednesday and was expected to take action removing Jesuit from the name after the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus announced in April it was ending its affiliation with the school because Jesuit teaching was being eliminated on the Wheeling campus.
The board of trustees voted in March to eliminate 19 of 30 programs at the school including the theology program. The school has been struggling financially for several years.
“These programs reflect the best intersection of WJU’s deep expertise, student demand and financial sustainability,” WJU President Michael Mihalyo said when the moves were announced.
A May 2017 agreement with the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston helped WJU out of some financial problems but financial difficulties continues. The Diocese does not operate the school.
The school was called Wheeling College when it was created in 1954. It was renamed Wheeling Jesuit College in 1987 and Wheeling Jesuit University in 1996.
MetroNews contacted the school Thursday about the name change but our calls were not returned.
Wheeling Jesuit University was to end its Jesuit affiliation this summer…Looks like the school has determined a new name with logo. Previous story: https://t.co/PfS4CPXYpt pic.twitter.com/k6npU9D2eQ
— Jake Flatley (@JakeFlatley) July 18, 2019