Peace Making Major Changes

One of Raleigh's oldest colleges is making some major changes. Peace College will change its name to William Peace University and admit men for the first time.

The changes are being made to strengthen a college that has taken its lumps of late. Earlier this year, Peace eliminated its music department and laid off a number of faculty members.

The decision to admit men is the latest and most significant change in the school's recent history. In the 1970s the school became a junior college and in the 1990s it awarded its first four-year degree.

President Debra Townsley calls these moves another sign that Peace is moving in the right direction. 

Debra Townsley: "That's what has made Peace such a strong institution over its 150-plus years is because it looks to what students are looking for today and tomorrow."

Townsley says the reaction from alumni is likely to be mixed. Peace will begin admitting men in 2012.