William Peace University considering name change after removing statue of founder from campus

President of William Peace University, a private school in downtown Raleigh, told WRAL News on Tuesday that the administration will be considering changing the university's name.

"We're going to conduct 14 listening sessions with faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees. I'm confident that the name will come up as part of those conversations," according to President Brian Ralph.

The university formed a committee to identify parts of the university's history that are "not consistent" with the university's current values. On Tuesday, university officials announced that they removed a statue of its founder on campus.

"We knew that to move forward, we must understand our history as an institution and where it may/may not intersect with white supremacy, slavery, and/or racism," the university's task force wrote in a statement.

William Peace, namesake of the university, owned 51 enslaved people in the city of Raleigh, according to U.S. Census records. The most prominent building on campus previously served as a Confederate hospital and was built by enslaved men and women.

The university also found that past editions of the yearbook contained racial stereotypes and racial slurs. In addition to "objectionable" material, the university dedicated its 1946 yearbook edition to Josephus Daniels who was complicit in the Wilmington Massacre of 1898.

A statement from the university said the Board of Trustees voted in support of removing the statue and establishing March 24 as a day of acknowledgment to reflect on the university's findings.