diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/utils/LocalNamespaceClassUtils.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/utils/LocalNamespaceClassUtils.java
index 4b2bdec5c..e66e6c0b2 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/utils/LocalNamespaceClassUtils.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/utils/LocalNamespaceClassUtils.java
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ public class LocalNamespaceClassUtils {
     	   String classUri = v.getURI();
     	   System.out.println("uri is " + classUri + " and namespace is " + classNamespace);
     	   if(namespaces.containsKey(classNamespace)){
-    		   localClasses.put(classUri, v.getName() + " ( " + namespaces.get(classNamespace) + ")");
+    		   String namespaceLabel = namespaces.get(classNamespace);
+    		   String prefix = namespaceLabel.substring(namespaceLabel.indexOf("(") + 1, namespaceLabel.indexOf(")"));
+    		   localClasses.put(classUri, v.getName() + " ( " + prefix + ")");
     	   }
        }
        return localClasses;
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/InstitutionalInternalClassController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/InstitutionalInternalClassController.java
index 85c3ef843..f9a3d3440 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/InstitutionalInternalClassController.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/freemarker/InstitutionalInternalClassController.java
@@ -15,10 +15,11 @@ import com.hp.hpl.jena.rdf.model.ResourceFactory;
 import com.hp.hpl.jena.rdf.model.StmtIterator;
 import com.hp.hpl.jena.shared.Lock;
 import com.hp.hpl.jena.rdf.model.RDFNode;
-
+import com.hp.hpl.jena.rdf.model.Statement;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
+
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.auth.requestedAction.Actions;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.auth.requestedAction.usepages.ManageMenus;
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.beans.VClass;
@@ -63,15 +64,14 @@ public class InstitutionalInternalClassController extends FreemarkerHttpServlet
     	retrieveLocalClasses(vreq, data);
     	if(isSubmission(vreq)){
     		processSubmission(vreq, data);
-    	} else if(isSelectExistingClass(vreq)) {
-    		//Local namespace(s) exist and user can select an existing class
-    		processSelectExistingClass(vreq, data);
-    		
     	} else if(isCreateNewClass(vreq)) {
     		//Local namespace(s) exist and user wishes to create a new class
     		//Either cmd = create new or no local classes exist at all and one must be created
     		processCreateNewClass(vreq, data);
-    	} else if(isCreateOntologies(vreq)) {
+    	} else if(isSelectExistingClass(vreq)) {
+    		//Local namespace(s) exist and user can select an existing class
+    		processSelectExistingClass(vreq, data);
+    	}  else if(isCreateOntologies(vreq)) {
     		//Not being handled expliclity but message will display indicating
     		//no local namespaces exist and one must be created
     		processCreateOntologies(vreq, data);
@@ -240,7 +240,10 @@ public class InstitutionalInternalClassController extends FreemarkerHttpServlet
 				ResourceFactory.createProperty(VitroVocabulary.IS_INTERNAL_CLASSANNOT), 
 				(RDFNode) null);
 		if(internalIt.hasNext()){
-			internalClassUri = internalIt.nextStatement().getResource().getURI();
+			Statement s = internalIt.nextStatement();
+			if(s.getObject().isResource()){
+				internalClassUri = internalIt.nextStatement().getResource().getURI();
+			}
 		}
 		return internalClassUri;
 	}