diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/BaseLiaison.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/BaseLiaison.java
index c7ed3c9a..7570bad0 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/BaseLiaison.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/BaseLiaison.java
@@ -107,13 +107,7 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
         }
         update.append(")");
 
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate(update.toString());
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
+        executeQuery(conn, update.toString());
         Log.info("Database index '" + ixName + "' added to table '" + table + "'");
         return true;
     }
@@ -132,26 +126,15 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
         fields.append(")");
         String update = "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " ADD PRIMARY KEY " + fields.toString();
 
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate(update.toString());
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
+        executeQuery(conn, update.toString());
         Log.info("Primary key " + fields + " added to table '" + table + "'");
     }
 
     // from DatabaseLiaison
     public void dropIndex (Connection conn, String table, String index) throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate(
-                "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP CONSTRAINT " + columnSQL(index));
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) +
+                     " DROP CONSTRAINT " + columnSQL(index));
     }
 
     // from DatabaseLiaison
@@ -170,14 +153,8 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
             return false;
         }
 
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate("ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " ADD COLUMN " +
-                               columnSQL(column) + " " + definition);
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " ADD COLUMN " +
+                     columnSQL(column) + " " + definition);
         Log.info("Database column '" + column + "' added to table '" + table + "'.");
         return true;
     }
@@ -186,33 +163,21 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
     public boolean changeColumn (Connection conn, String table, String column, String definition)
         throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate("ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " CHANGE " +
-                               columnSQL(column) + " " + column + " " + definition);
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
-        Log.info("Database column '" + column + "' of table '" + table +
-                 "' modified to have definition '" + definition + "'.");
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " CHANGE " +
+                     columnSQL(column) + " " + column + " " + definition);
+        Log.info("Database column '" + column + "' of table '" + table + "' modified to have " +
+                 "definition '" + definition + "'.");
         return true;
     }
 
     // from DatabaseLiaison
-    public boolean renameColumn (Connection conn, String table, String from, String to)
+    public boolean renameColumn (Connection conn, String table, String from, String to,
+                                 String newColumnDef)
         throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            String query = "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " RENAME COLUMN " +
-                columnSQL(from) + " TO " + columnSQL(to);
-            if (stmt.executeUpdate(query) == 1) {
-                Log.info("Renamed column '" + from + "' on table '" + table + "' to '" + to + "'");
-            }
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " RENAME COLUMN " +
+                     columnSQL(from) + " TO " + columnSQL(to));
+        Log.info("Renamed column '" + from + "' on table '" + table + "' to '" + to + "'");
         return true;
     }
 
@@ -222,16 +187,8 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
         if (!tableContainsColumn(conn, table, column)) {
             return false;
         }
-
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            String query = "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP COLUMN " + columnSQL(column);
-            if (stmt.executeUpdate(query) == 1) {
-                Log.info("Database index '" + column + "' removed from table '" + table + "'.");
-            }
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP COLUMN " + columnSQL(column));
+        Log.info("Database column '" + column + "' removed from table '" + table + "'.");
         return true;
     }
 
@@ -283,14 +240,19 @@ public abstract class BaseLiaison implements DatabaseLiaison
 
         builder.append(")");
 
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate(builder.toString());
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
+        executeQuery(conn, builder.toString());
         Log.info("Database table '" + table + "' created.");
         return true;
     }
+
+    protected int executeQuery (Connection conn, String query)
+        throws SQLException
+    {
+        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
+        try {
+            return stmt.executeUpdate(query);
+        } finally {
+            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/DatabaseLiaison.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/DatabaseLiaison.java
index 2c4e84cb..1e232859 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/DatabaseLiaison.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/DatabaseLiaison.java
@@ -128,8 +128,12 @@ public interface DatabaseLiaison
     /**
      * Alter the name, but not the definition, of a given column on a given table. Returns true or
      * false if the database did or did not report a schema modification.
+     *
+     * @param newColumnDef the full definition of the new column, including its new name (MySQL
+     * requires this for a column rename).
      */
-    public boolean renameColumn (Connection conn, String table, String oldColumn, String newColumn)
+    public boolean renameColumn (
+        Connection conn, String table, String oldColumn, String newColumn, String newColumnDef)
         throws SQLException;
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/MySQLLiaison.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/MySQLLiaison.java
index e8bada1d..c686373a 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/MySQLLiaison.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/MySQLLiaison.java
@@ -99,14 +99,7 @@ public class MySQLLiaison extends BaseLiaison
         }
         update.append(")");
 
-        PreparedStatement stmt = null;
-        try {
-            stmt = conn.prepareStatement(update.toString());
-            stmt.executeUpdate();
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
-
+        executeQuery(conn, update.toString());
         Log.info("Database index '" + ixName + "' added to table '" + table + "'");
         return true;
     }
@@ -115,25 +108,29 @@ public class MySQLLiaison extends BaseLiaison
     public void dropIndex (Connection conn, String table, String index)
         throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate(
-                "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP INDEX " + columnSQL(index));
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP INDEX " + columnSQL(index));
     }
 
     @Override // from BaseLiaison
     public void dropPrimaryKey (Connection conn, String table, String pkName)
         throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate("ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP PRIMARY KEY");
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + tableSQL(table) + " DROP PRIMARY KEY");
+    }
+
+    @Override // from BaseLiaison
+    public boolean renameColumn (Connection conn, String table, String oldColumnName,
+                                 String newColumnName, String newColumnDef)
+        throws SQLException
+    {
+        if (!tableContainsColumn(conn, table, oldColumnName)) {
+            return false;
         }
+        executeQuery(conn, "ALTER TABLE " + table + " CHANGE " + oldColumnName + " " +
+                     newColumnName + " " + newColumnDef);
+        Log.info("Renamed column '" + oldColumnName + "' on table '" + table + "' to '" +
+                 newColumnName + "'");
+        return true;
     }
 
     // from DatabaseLiaison
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/PostgreSQLLiaison.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/PostgreSQLLiaison.java
index b6de347c..585ae34b 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/PostgreSQLLiaison.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/PostgreSQLLiaison.java
@@ -77,13 +77,8 @@ public class PostgreSQLLiaison extends BaseLiaison
         Connection conn, String table, String column, int first, int step)
         throws SQLException
     {
-        Statement stmt = conn.createStatement();
-        try {
-            stmt.executeUpdate("alter sequence \"" + table + "_" + column + "_seq\" " +
-                               " restart with " + first + " increment " + step);
-        } finally {
-            JDBCUtil.close(stmt);
-        }
+        executeQuery(conn, "alter sequence \"" + table + "_" + column + "_seq\" " +
+                     " restart with " + first + " increment " + step);
     }
 
     // from DatabaseLiaison
diff --git a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/depot/EntityMigration.java b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/depot/EntityMigration.java
index 9bea2bd9..e9765b7e 100644
--- a/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/depot/EntityMigration.java
+++ b/src/java/com/samskivert/jdbc/depot/EntityMigration.java
@@ -92,14 +92,20 @@ public abstract class EntityMigration extends Modifier
 
             log.info("Renaming '" + _oldColumnName + "' to '" + _newColumnName + "' in: " +
                 _tableName);
-            return liaison.renameColumn(conn, _tableName, _oldColumnName, _newColumnName) ? 1 : 0;
+            return liaison.renameColumn(
+                conn, _tableName, _oldColumnName, _newColumnName, _newColumnDef) ? 1 : 0;
         }
 
         public boolean runBeforeDefault () {
             return true;
         }
 
-        protected String _oldColumnName,  _newColumnName;
+        protected void init (String tableName, Map<String,FieldMarshaller> marshallers) {
+            super.init(tableName, marshallers);
+            _newColumnDef = marshallers.get(_newColumnName).getColumnDefinition();
+        }
+
+        protected String _oldColumnName,  _newColumnName, _newColumnDef;
     }
 
     /**