What's in a name? When the name is "college" vs. "university," quite a lot. That's what the trustees of the College of St. Catherine recognized last week when they voted to start calling their St. Paul institution a university, beginning in June 2009.

"University" certainly suits the institution St. Kate's has become. It's the largest, most comprehensive college for women in the United States, and has witnessed considerable expansion in recent years. With 11 graduate programs, it's the only college among the 17 institutions in the Minnesota Private College Council to offer degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels.

Truth in labeling will be served by the new name, as will marketing and associations with similar institutions of higher learning.

Same name, new location Another of St. Paul's private colleges, Hamline University, announced recently that it will offer classes at West End, an office-retail-hotel-theater complex that's going up at the southwest corner of Interstate Hwy. 394 and Hwy. 100. Hamline's new west campus will be home for many of the graduate classes offered by a new Hamline School of Business.

The school will offer graduate degree programs in business administration, nonprofit management and public administration, as well as undergraduate programs. The move represents renewal and adaptation by the oldest collegiate name in the state. Hamline's sesquicentennial was four years ago.