The Moncton-based Atlantic Baptist University is changing its name to Crandall University to avoid what it believes are misunderstandings about the school.

In a news release Thursday, university officials cited common misperceptions as the reason for the name change.

They don't want people to think that only Baptists can attend the school and want to dispel the notion that the university is a seminary rather than a liberal arts university.

Ron Gaudet, a vice-president of the university, said he hopes the new name will allow the university to appeal to a wider base of students.

Gaudet said he sees a trend away from narrow denominational lines in his own children.

"I kind of see the way that they view the world and while faith makes up a very important part of their life, the denominational part of that is not as significant as it was in past generations."

Gaudet said he feels that generational change should be reflected in the university's name.

The Christian university will still continue to teach from a biblical world view. But Gaudet hopes the new name will bring in more students from other denominations and faiths.

"We continue to have the ethos of being a faith-based post-secondary institution, but we felt that with the denomination Baptist [in the name] that people would feel that they weren't welcome unless they were a Baptist," he said.

Crandall a 'patriarch' of N.B. Baptists

The name change was made in honour of Rev. Joseph Crandall, one of the university's founders.

Crandall is described by the university as the patriarch of the province's Baptist community.

"Rev. Joseph Crandall, as a pioneering Baptist, was a man of passionate faith, who helped to found a university that was open to students of every denomination. He recognized the importance of combining faith and education," said Brian MacArthur, the university's president.