WHEELING — Three months after the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus discontinued its association with Wheeling Jesuit University, the school’s Board of Trustees dropped “Jesuit” from the name.

Late Thursday, the Board of Trustees announced their vote to approve an official name change to become Wheeling University.

The decision came after the board came to an agreement with the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus to end the Jesuit’s affiliation with the university at the end of the school year, which was announced in April.

That decision itself comes on the heels of the financially-troubled university dropping 19 academic courses, including all liberal arts and theology courses. This reduction in the course catalogue also saw 20 faculty members lose their jobs.

“Wheeling University’s new nomenclature and mission will be central to its goals for building meaningful alliances and providing students with a rigorous and rewarding education throughout the 2019-2020 academic year,” representatives from the school said in a statement released late Thursday night.

The new school year begins Aug. 27.

University trustees also voted to appoint Ginny Favede as the university’s new board chair to assist the University and support its administration in upholding its student-centered mission.

Favede was appointed by the Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, and is currently the executive director of the Ohio Valley Construction Employers Council. She also is the co-chairwoman of Project Best, a construction industry labor-management organization encompassing over 500 contractors and 6,000 building trades craftsman and apprentices serving the Upper Ohio Valley region including Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Favede has also served as a Belmont County commissioner and St. Clairsville City Council member.

“I can think of no one better to serve as our new Board Chairperson than Ms. Favede,” said Wheeling University President Michael P. Mihalyo Jr.,”Her experience and vision — smart, balanced, thoughtful, and caring attributes — are the same values guiding our institution as we enter a new chapter of our University history in service to the students.”