The University of Cincinnati’s college of arts and sciences will review whether it should keep Charles McMicken’s name for the college after its student government voted to remove the name of the slave owning businessman who donated property and funding to the city of Cincinnati to establish an institution where “White boys and girls might be taught” after he passed away in 1858, according to ABC-affiliate WCPO-TV.
University of Cincinnati’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences“How we figure these troubling facts into our current identity and future direction is now ours to determine,” university president Dr. Neville Pinto said in a recent release.
A committee consisting of professors and third-party experts will utilize the spring semester to determine whether Cincinnati should keep the college’s name as McMicken College of Arts and Science or remove McMicken’s name.
“Challenging conversations have the potential to divide us,” Pinto said. “But our shared commitment to this great institution, despite its imperfect history, must keep us united and undeterred in our efforts to advance knowledge, change lives and build community.”
