Manhattanville College rebrands to become a university
GREENWICH — Changes are coming to Manhattanville College.
The school, which is in Purchase, N.Y., just a few minutes from Greenwich, is soon going to be known as Manhattanville University. The school is hosting a university launch event on April 3 to celebrate this milestone.
“This is a significant inflection point in Manhattanville’s nearly 200-year history,” said Frank Sánchez,
the school’s president, in the announcement. “As we officially become Manhattanville University, a recognition of the breadth and depth of our undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs, we are ushering in the next phase of forward-thinking program development and transformative educational experiences.”
Manhattanville was originally a Catholic academy for girls in the city’s Upper East Side. In 1917, the school became a college and now has more than 55 undergraduate programs, 70 graduate programs and a doctoral program.
Sánchez, Manhattanville’s 15th president, “has led Manhattanville through a rebrand, including a redesigned institutional seal and new logos.”
New campus signs and banners are going to feature the new brand and there will be “a university launch campaign featuring a ‘U’ visual with silhouetted photos highlighting students,” according to the announcement. Sánchez
will officially transition from president of the college to president of the university at an installation ceremony April 5.
“Our elevated status as Manhattanville becomes a university will enhance our ability to live our mission every day as we continue to educate socially responsible leaders,” said Associate Provost Alison Carson in the announcement. “That’s truly something worth celebrating, and we have a whole week of activities planned to
commemorate the transition to Manhattanville University and honor President Sánchez.”
Student leaders have also helped plan the week of events leading up to the university launch event and the president’s installation.
“I have had the opportunity to meet with President Sánchez regularly and to work with faculty and administration as part of the Presidential Inauguration Planning Committee,” said Aela Mansmann, student body president, in the announcement. “I shared ideas for engaging students so that they would have a voice in the new branding and be a hands-on part of the university launch.”
Mansmann said that one idea they came up with was bringing “to life was student participation in the installation of the new Manhattanville University stone sign at the circle at the entrance of campus.”
“I worked with staff to create an event for students to help install the new letters as we enter a new phase for Manhattanville,” Mansmann said in the announcement.
Student government leaders will get the letters from the current Manhattanville College sign during a ceremony at the new sign installation.
“The letters from the old sign will live on as a piece of our history in the student government offices,” Mansmann said in the announcement. “I’m proud to be a Manhattanville student, and I’m excited for this next evolution.”