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Massachusetts College Distances Itself From Illinois Namesake

NORTON, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts college is trying to distance itself from a Midwestern school that shares its name and has been involved in a recent controversy.

In a statement posted on its website and on Facebook, Wheaton College in Norton said it's in no way affiliated with a suburban Chicago Christian college of the same name.

President Hanno has issued the following statement in response to recent national headlines. There is, understandably,...

Posted by Wheaton College Massachusetts on Thursday, December 17, 2015

The statement said some people have been confusing the two schools since a professor at Wheaton College in Illinois was placed on administrative leave after donning a headscarf to demonstrate solidarity with Muslims.

It's not the first time the two schools have been confused.

While delivering the commencement speech at Wheaton College in Massachusetts in 2010, NBC journalist Ann Curry read the names of several distinguished alumni — from the Illinois school. She later apologized for the mistake.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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