Mars Hill University officially changed its name Aug. 15. In its 157-year history, this is the second time the institution has changed its name.
Mars Hill was established in 1856 by a small group of Baptist families in Madison County as French Broad Baptist Institute. Two years later, the trustees chose the name Mars Hill, for the site in Athens, Greece, named in Acts 17, where the Apostle Paul so persuasively used logic in his defense of the Christian faith.
According to President Dan Lunsford, the move to university status is one that has been contemplated and discussed by the administration and the current Board of Trustees for about a decade. Recently, the college’s expansion, both in terms of enrollment and variety of offerings, has increased, setting the stage for the move to university status.
“We believe that changing the designation from college to university is one that positions the institution to be recognized for what we really are,” Lunsford said. “The name university denotes a greater variety of offerings, and it indicates the opportunity to obtain undergraduate and graduate education in selected fields as part of the Mars Hill experience.”
Beginning in summer 2011, Mars Hill added a master of education degree. The next program set for implementation is a master of public administration, and other graduate degrees are currently being explored for implementation in the future. Mars Hill also opened another site for classes in Asheville.