Saint Augustine's College to become Saint Augustine's University

"This isn't just a name change," President Dianne Boardley Suber said in a statement. "We're committed to changing the way we do business. Our guiding principle will continue to be the training of leaders and change agents."

All of the school's curricula, student organizations and student life will have leadership training as its backdrop, which Suber described as being "the common thread that runs through and drives all of our standing programs and new initiatives."

The change to university status aligns the college’s public identity with the structure and breadth of academic, athletic and student development programs Saint Augustine’s College offers, school administrators said.

Other changes include offering its first master's degree program as early as 2014. The Physician Assistant Master’s Degree Program will focus on training physician assistants for rural and other underserved communities.

Core general education courses will also be retrenched to retain and graduate students so that they are prepared to succeed in the workforce or graduate and professional level programs. The school will also expand its programs to include online courses and off-site campus programs.

Saint Augustine’s College was established in Raleigh in 1867 and is a four-year historically black college. With an average annual enrollment of 1,500, the college offers 30 undergraduate degree programs in five academic divisions, the school says.