College & University Rebrandings

A Higher Education Rebranding Interview

2011-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, I was interviewed for a publication regarding Long Island University's rebranding initiative. The interview is as follows.

Can you share some insight on university/college rebranding history?

Actually schools in the United States have been rebranding throughout their histories. This is not a new trend as you will find that many institutions have rebranded several times. Often, this occurred with merger with other institutions; at other times, it changed along with the change of a school's mission.

Most “State Universities” were formerly “State Colleges.” Before that, they were known as “Teachers' Colleges,” and prior to that, they were known as “Normal Institutes.” It only appears that it is on the rise (and certain aspects are - such as the college to university name change), but you will be hard pressed to find many schools in the US that have not changed names at least once in their history.

Can you share some insight on the rebranding process?

That really varies from institution to institution. Usually it is based on the goals of a key individual - such as a president looking to divorce the school from its previous role or mission. Sometimes it is a system chancellor, such as what happened in Georgia in 1996, when most of the state institutions were rebranded to fit into one of five categories.

Schools, who were of a similar nature, were provided name designations that matched their mission. Only the Tier One and Two schools did not change. Tier Three, schools with graduate education but no doctorates, were named "state universities." Tier Four, the four year schools without graduate education, became "state colleges" and Tier Five, the two year schools, were named simply as "college." Some schools did well with the change and others are still bitter about it 15 years later as it was forced upon them by the chancellor.

What are some of the main reasons/goals why universities/college rebrand themselves?

It would be an alignment to its mission and the institution's overall marketability. Colleges will often become universities to match their current mission; however, sometimes the addition of "university" is also a marketing ploy as "university" provides a level of esteem that is not present with "college."

Schools with a large international base of students will move away from the "college" identification. This is because "college" is used for prep schools and not for institutions of higher learning in most of the world.

Sometimes it is because of other negative factors concerning the current name. The College of New Jersey (which was Trenton State College) felt that they needed a change because Trenton, NJ (as a city) had a bad reputation regarding crime and there were two other institutions in the region with similar names (Trenton State Prison and Trenton State Mental Hospital) that had negative connotations.

Are universities/college more successful after they rebrand themselves? Why or why not?

Typically, from my research, they have not been, as it is not a magic bullet for success. I can be, if the school puts resources in promoting and marketing itself and demonstrates that the name and mission are aligned. Most schools change names hoping for a greater student base and they actually have a corresponding drop in enrollment. Calling a dog a cat doesn't simply make the dog a cat.

Rebranding seems expensive, how have colleges/universities you've researched funded their rebranding initiative?

Most have not spent great deals of money on their name change. State based institutions who desired to change were usually not provided funding for the rebranding process. So signs and stationary were the primary outlay of finances. In most cases, old stationary was used (with stickers stating the new name) until it was exhausted.

There are many free avenues of promotion that institutions' marketing departments have not taken advantage of which would have helped in the promotion of the name. I would say the majority of the institutions I have encountered spent less than $1000 on the name change.

How does rebranding help the school? Can it potentially hurt the school?

It can do both. If it allows the school to be able to market itself better outside its region or become more selective and charge more for tuition in the process - it can be a boost to the school's reputation and revenue stream. In this case, it is not an overnight change - but a concentrated effort to better an institution prior to a name change - usually years before the rebranding occurs. These are the most successful schools.

Truman State University, formerly Northeast Missouri State University, spent 20 years retooling their institution before changing their name. It is one of the more successful state college rebradings to date - but it was associated with eliminating unsuccessful programs, becoming more selective, and building their overall reputation. The name change, which was needed, was secondary.

It can hurt as well when certain stakeholders are alienated. Under the initiative of a new president at California State University of Pennsylvania who was seeking funding from the Eberly Foundation, he decided to proceed with a plan to change the name to Eberly State University. The community revolted as they felt that this rebrand was based solely on money - the motivation was transparent. The Eberly family told the school not to use their name as they had received so much bad press over it. It probably hurt the school in receiving future Eberly dollars in the long run.

Three years later, Penn State Fayette changed its name to Penn State Fayette: The Eberly Campus. This was viewed positively in the community, as Penn State Fayette's presence in the region was based upon a large initial gift by the Eberly family in the 1960s; that gift provided the impetus for the campus to be built in the first place. The Eberly name made sense for this institution, but not for California State University.

Case-Western Reserve (formed from the merger of Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University in the 1960s) decided to rebrand (for marketing purposes) to simply Case. It alienated the Western Reserve alumni who felt there was "too much Case in their face." It was disastrous to say the least. Case returned to a CWRU designation and the president was fired in the process.

How does rebranding affect current and future students?

I think most students are oblivious to name change initiatives. There is less brand loyalty these days, and in the lifetime of the traditional student, many things have been rebranded. I don't think most students worry about it. You are more likely to offend alumni than current students who are focused on getting their degree and getting a job.

Brand loyalty is more consistent with an older population. In that respect, students are much more practical about such things. The down side is that when these students are alums, they probably will not be financial supporters of the institution because they feel that they have already provided support via their tuition. This is why powerful alumni can prevent a name change as they speak with their wallets and their purses.

Why do Universities/colleges change their name, can't they re-brand themselves and keep their name?

Why do people have makeovers? It is to become more attractive to potential suitors. Yes, there can be a rebranding of slogans or shortened forms of the name. This can be done by associating quality with the name. In the 1970s, there was a push for the Smuckers' jelly company to change its name as it was positioning itself to go nationwide with a marketing effort. The Smuckers' family bucked the name change. The touted their quality and came up with a slogan, "With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good." They stood by their name and focused on their quality. It worked for them and a name change was not necessary.

Overall, is rebranding beneficial for the university/college?

It can be, but it is not isolated to the name - it is what you do with the name. It has to be perceived as genuine. It has to make sense. It has to be supported by stakeholders. If not, it will probably fail.

Dr. James M. Owston is the author of the two-time award winning dissertation on institutional rebrandings: Survival of the Fittest? The Rebranding of West Virginia Higher Education.

Johns Hopkins University Drops "S" in Deference to John Hopkins

2010-04-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

I know I've been lax in posts to this blog, but I had to post this for today. In an elaborate April Fool's joke, Johns Hopkins University dropped the "s" in Johns Hopkins to be John Hopkins University. A frequent misidentification of the Baltimore university that was founded in 1876 three years after the death of philanthropist Johns Hopkins bequeathed $7 million dollars to establish the university that bears his name. His unusual first name Johns was his great-grandmother's middle name and he was named after her son, his grandfather, the first Johns Hopkins.

The university had been planning this prank for nearly a year and you can read about it in the Washington Post.

Return to Blogging and Recent Developments

2009-09-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

My life has been increasingly busy during the past 18 months and this has prevented me from being active with this blog. This first post in a long time will end my self-imposed silence and return to chronicling institutional rebrandings.

Some of the developments in the past 2 years include my selection as the winner of the 2008 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth winner for the Outstanding Dissertation for Research in Higher Education Administration. This was quite the honor bestowed by the American Association of University Administrators and I received my award in June 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 2009, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education awarded my dissertation the international Alice L. Beeman Outstanding Research Award for a Dissertation in Communications and Marketing for Educational Advancement. I received this honor during July of this year in Washington, DC.

In the wake of the second award, I received quite a bit of press including the Associated Press picking up the story and a feature in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The dissertation and stories regarding the awards can be found at http://www.newriver.net.

Most recently U.S. News and World Report featured a story where they interviewed me regarding institutional rebrandings (see Colleges Play the Name Game).

I want to comment on this article as well as one of the comments contributed by a reader.

Mountain State University

In the section discussing Mountain State University (my employer) and its name choice, further explanation is needed as the entire story was not told. It appears from the article (which I much appreciated my inclusion) that the main reason the Mountain State University name was chosen was because of the confusion "State" in our name might cause to consumers. While I did discuss this in the initial interview, I followed up in response to Ms. Clark's request for clarification. She stated:

"When the College of West Virginia changed its name to Mountain State University in 2001, the college president told you, as you were doing your dissertation research, that he was counting on some confusion by prospective students over whether the institution was a state or private university."

My response clarified this statement as well as put it in perspective. I replied with the following:

Well, that was a tertiary reason for the name selection and not a primary one. I'll explain that in a minute. Dr. Charles H. Polk, our president, was leading us into our second metamorphosis since coming to the school in 1990. It was a junior college when he arrived in 1990 and by 1991, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools approved Beckley College to offer four-year degrees. With this approval, we began to position ourselves as an institution beyond our hometown and county. Dr. Polk selected the name "The College of West Virginia" to indicate that we were anticipating branching out to other areas in the state. This eventually happened.

By 1998, we also sought permission to offer graduate programs. By 2001, CWV had been approved to offer seven Master's degrees. With this change, Dr. Polk felt that our name needed to reflect our new status as a university - hence, the name Mountain State University was selected. In 2009, we received permission to offer an additional Master's degree and a doctorate. In less than 20 years, we moved from a junior college to a doctoral granting institution. I don't have the figures in front of me for 2009, but by comparison - we conferred 369 degrees and certificates in 2002 and in 2008, we conferred 1,163 degrees and certificates. While the name contributed indirectly to these figures, being market driven has allowed us to be above the curve on enrollment than most other rebranded institutions.

A secondary reason for the MSU name change was that we needed a name that was more attractive. As we were moving towards having campuses and sites in other states, we needed a name that wasn't going to be geographically limiting. Therefore, Mountain State University (with West Virginia being the Mountain State), while not alienating our hometown constituents and alumni, served to play better outside of West Virginia. We currently have sites in Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, DC, and a comprehensive campus in Martinsburg, WV. Part of the reason for the shift in names would allow us to be more attractive to non-West Virginians. In my interview with Dr. Polk, he stated: "It was something that could play anywhere . . . . It’s more marketable and less bound to geography. You could use Mountain State and think Colorado, Vermont, West Virginia, or any number of places."

As far as the addition of "State" in our name, here is his exact quote: "Frankly, when I made that decision back in 2001, it was a deliberate decision. I think there are two ways of looking at brands. One that it needs to create in the minds in someone the absence of questions and with it you find the money and promote it and to make it well known. The other is creating, to some extent, a brand with confusion. Then when you are out there trying to spread that brand around, I think in the minds of many people they begin to think in terms of flagship institutions. They think about the University of Texas and North Carolina State and all of those kinds of schools. It was a judgment that I made. It was better to have, not a deceptive element, but an indication that this institution was like others.

Owston, J.M. (2007). Survival of the fittest? The rebranding of West Virginia higher education. (Doctoral dissertation, Marshall University). Publication No. AAT 3310223, pp. 210-215.

Owston, J.M. (2009, September 16). Email to Kim Clark, RE: factchecking. Personal communication.

There were side benefits for the inclusion of "State" in Mountain State University name; however, the "State" is included not as a reference to state controlled or operated - but is included because West Virginia's nickname is the "Mountain State." So there is a difference when you look at the name in its entirety and where the emphasis should be placed. Our emphasis would have been Mountain State University with the emphasis on our status. Certainly, Mountain State University - with an emphasis on location (the Mountain State) also makes much more sense than the article's implied Mountain State University - emphasizing the possible confusion with public institutions.

University Definition

Secondly, Howard J. Bachman's comment:

"For a 'college' to change it's name to a 'university' can be more about deceit than marketing. The best definition of a 'university' was set forth from the National Center for Education Statistics which indicated that a university must grant not only bachelor's and master's degrees but must have at least two professional schools (i.e. Law, Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy etc.) At least by this definition, the number of universities in the US probably fall short of 200."

I appreciated Mr. Bachman's analysis and information. I was able to secure the NCES definition:

University An institution of higher education consisting of a liberal arts college, a diverse graduate program, and usually two or more professional schools or faculties and empowered to confer degrees in various fields of study. For purposes of maintaining trend data in this publication, the selection of university institutions has not been revised since 1982.

Bachman, H.J. (2009, September 21). Comment to "Colleges play the name game." U.S. News & World Report [online edition]. Available at http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/2009/09/17/colleges-play-the-name-game.html

National Center for Education Statistics (2008). Digest of education statistics: 2008 — Appendix B: Definitions. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Available from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d08/app_b.asp

Unfortunately, I did not find the NCES definition when I was writing my dissertation in 2006 and 2007 and it would have contributed greatly to my research. The 1982 reference indicates that this has been in place for some time; however, I had accessed the NCES definitions in regard to how the NCES defined degree programs and did not see this among the definitions and it may not have been online until 2008. While it may have been an oversight on my part, I had searched in earnest for the definition of university from a variety of sources and never discovered this particular one, which is very limiting in scope. I thank Mr. Bachman for alerting us to this particular definition and hopefully it will aid others who research this subject.

It is good to be back.

MSU-Bottineau Considering a Name Change

2008-02-19T20:06:00.000-08:00

South Dakota's Minot State University-Bottineau is considering a rebrand makeover; however, a change in status and relationship is not forthcoming. Even if the MSU name is dropped, the school will still remain affiliated with Minot State University. One of the reasons for the proposed change is that there are too many schools with the abbreviation MSU. Another, as Joseph Marks reported in the Grand Forks Herald is that a "nondescript name" may be successful in drawing students. One suggestion was to retrobrand to its former name of the "School of Forestry." Other names considered included the following: Northern Lights University, Peace Garden State University-Bottineau, Four Seasons State College, and Bottineau State College.

Any change in names would need the approval of the institution's president, the North Dakota Board of Education, and the North Dakota Legislature. The soonest total approval could occur is 2009.

Utah Valley State's move to university status is progressing

2008-02-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

As announced in this blog on January 6, Utah Valley State College will become Utah Valley University on July 1, 2008. Approved by the institutional trustees but pending approval of the state board of regents, several schools within Utah Valley State will also rebrand.

The School of Arts and Humanities will be split into two schools: the School of Arts and the College of Humanities. The School of Health Science will become the College of Health Science. The School of Technology and Computing will upgrade to college status. The School of General Academics will be repositioned as the University College.

The School of Education, the School of Continuing Education, and the Woodbury School of Business will not experience any name changes.

Typically the rebranding of schools within a university are listed in the HEP Higher Educational Directories (see Spencer, 2005) among institutional name changes. With the exception of the public outcry against the Welmark brand being applied to the University of Iowa's College of Public Health as blatant commercialism, these changes normally occur without any stakeholder furor or outcry.

See UVSC renaming academic schools to fit university model

For a historical perspective of a change that did not occur, see the following stories about the University of Iowa's failed plan to add sponsorship to a college within a university. Dateline 2007.

A College By Any Other Name
Philanthropy with Strings: Wellmark Pulls $15 Million Gift to UI
Wellmark Withdraws Offer of $15 Million Donation to University of Iowa

I thought the University of Iowa's story from 2007 was fascinating as it has some societal implications; however, I omitted it from my dissertation as it really didn't fit any of my main topics of consideration. Therefore, for a historical perspective, I have included it here.

Spencer, D. C. (2005). College and university name change: A study of perceived strategy
and goal achievement. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Virginia). UMI No. 3161630.
Spencer referred to these rebrandings as occurring in "sub-schools."

Malone College is becoming Malone University

2008-02-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

On February 9, 2008, the Malone College board of trustees voted unanimously to rebrand as Malone University. According to an institutional press release, "The Board reaffirmed that mission and emphasized the potential for enhanced educational opportunities within the liberal arts context for the growing number of undergraduate students already studying in 90 different academic programs. The name change is also consistent with Malone’s desire to explore further graduate and continuing studies opportunities in Northeast Ohio and beyond."

Malone began offering graduate programs in 1990 and adopted a university structure in 1999. The official date of the name change has not yet been determined.

Press Release

New Hampshire Community and Technical Colleges all rebrand

2008-02-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

Unlike the Lone Star Community College system which unified under a single brand, the New Hampshire Community and Technical Colleges divested themselves of the single brand in favor of individual brand identities. Signed into law in 2007, the new identities were announced on January 30, 2008. The name changes include the following:

New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Berlin to White Mountains Community College
New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Claremont to River Valley Community College
New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Laconia to Lakes Region Community College
New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Manchester to Manchester Community College
New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Nashua to Nashua Community College
New Hampshire Community and Technical College-Stratham/Portsmouth to Great Bay Community College
New Hampshire Technical Institute to New Hampshire Technical Institute – Concord’s Community College

The schools are governed under the auspices of the Community College System of New Hampshire.

Name changes approved for community colleges

Community college to change name

NHCTC to change name: Will become Great Bay Community College
NHTI name change reflects college's role

Lone Star College System - New Name; New Logo

2008-02-14T18:47:00.001-08:00

Formed in 1972, the North Harris Montgomery County College District was created by citizens served by the Aldine, Humble and Spring Independent School Districts to be a junior college district. Later, eight other school districts joined over the next 28 years. Unfortunately, the original name was no longer viable. The individual campuses were individually known as:

Cy-Fair College
Kingwood College
Montgomery College
North Harris College
Tomball College

Several considerations regarding the new name were set forth by the "Name Review Committee." These criteria were as follows:

Must be shorter than the current name.
Must be distinctive and unique.
Must connect all colleges, communities, member school districts.
Must support the mission, purpose of the institution.
Must reflect a “system” of colleges, not a geographic “district.”
Must have an appropriate, easy-to-say acronym.
Must reflect the institution’s image as a successful, quality, inclusive, diverse, comprehensive college.
May include a key descriptor of the region’s geography, history or location.
Should be inspiring and forward-thinking, but not faddish.
Must not be the name of an individual.

Stakeholders were invited to participate in the process and the Board of Trustees approved the Lone Star College System name on November 1, 2007. The name became official on January 1, 2008. On January 16, a new logo and a unified color scheme was unveiled to the public.

The New Name Information Site
Lone Star College System Rises as the New Name for NHMCCD
Lone Star College Unveils New Logo for New Name

I love the new logo and the name really makes sense. This was an excellent rebranding scenario and it appears to have gone very smoothly.

Ohio's Heidelberg College considering University Status

2008-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

According to President F. Dominic Dottavio, Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio is "considering changing the school’s name back to “Heidelberg University” — not to be confused with the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany — because the scope of its programs is changing, and it offers a wider variety of professional programs."

While the president is considering a retrobranding tactic, The History of Heidelberg College by Williard (1879) indicates that the school was known as Heidelberg College since its 1850 inception. The school was chartered under this name in 1851 and was founded by the Reformed Church in the U.S. The school is currently under the auspices of the Reformed Church's successor denomination: the United Church of Christ.

Time will tell whether the school will make the leap of faith to university status.

'Berg defies "big-box' approach

Fort Hays State University not rebranding

2008-02-12T19:24:00.000-08:00

As part of its strategic plan through 2020 announced in fall 2007, Fort Hays State University had considered changing its name to the University of Western Kansas. Part of the justification of the change was that it was unclear where the school was located, it was the only state institution in the western portion of Kansas, and Fort Hays (the namesake of the institution) had not been operational since 1889 and only had a historical connection to Hays, KS. Prior to the 1977 name change to Fort Hays State University, the school had Kansas as part of its previous names:

1902 - Western Branch of the Kansas Normal School
1914 - Fort Hays Kansas State Normal School
1923 - Kansas State Teachers College of Hays
1931 - Fort Hays Kansas State College
1977 - Fort Hays State University

The name change initiative was unpopular with a majority of students and some perspective donors. A Facebook group protesting the name change garnered support from over 1,000 individuals while a similar group promoting the new name only had three proponents.

On December 12, 2007, President Edward H. Hammond announced that the Fort Hays State name would remain.

Dare to Dream document that promoted the name change.

Name Change Causing a Stir
Dissension over FHSU Slogan: "Affordable Success"
Cost Outweighs Benefits, Name Doesn't Change
FHSU Staying That Way

New Name Suggested for Community College System in Alabama

2008-01-13T19:06:00.000-08:00

This from today's Tuscaloosa News:

"Postsecondary Education Chancellor Bradley Byrne wants to change the name of the two-year college system from The Alabama College System to the Alabama Community College System."

"Martha Simmons, the system's communications director, said the name change will better reflect the role the system plays and will describe a more definitive role when marketed."

That is the extent of what's in the news. It sounds as though it is the right move as it does provide a name that matches their mission. Film at 11.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Considering Bridgeway College Name Change

2008-01-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

For several years, Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Minnesota has been considering a change of name that would accomplish three things. One: drop the "community college" designation to favor just "college." Two: rebrand itself with a new identity. Three: reduce any confusion between the college and two other educational entities with similar names.

The original name choice was Ardent College; however, this has been scrapped in favor of Bridgeway College. While intensive research has been conducted by the school, no concrete decision has been made on whether to continue with the present name or become Bridgeway College. The school provides their research procedures and rationale on their website. Although having known of this possible change, I did not include this school in my research as the name change was not definite.

See Anoka-Ramsey CommunityCollege Name Change Process

and

Questions and Answers.

Florida's Indian River Community College hopes to drop the "Community" Designation

2008-01-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

Florida's Indian River Community College began offering classes in its newly approved Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree program today. This step is positioning the school for a new name: Indian River College. Unlike community colleges in a number states that have dropped the "community" designation, Indian River has justified the move based on its approval at the baccalaureate level by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Florida legislature will vote on this change during the 2008 session. If passed, IRCC will begin phasing in the adjusted brand name.

See First day Of IRCC Bachelor’s Degree Classes Marks Historic First for College and Community

and

Indian River Community College Begins Bachelor's Degree Program

Utah Valley State College to become Utah Valley University

2008-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Utah Valley State College gears up for its 6th name change to Utah Valley University on July 1, 2008. Over the years, the school has transitioned from a site offering vocational classes, to a technical college, to a community college, to a state college, and will become a university. In 2007, the Utah state legislature and governor approved the offering of a Master's in Education and the move to university status.

The plan to move to university status appears to be well coordinated and better documented than any institution I've seen in recent time. The website dealing with this change is "chock full" of useful information that would benefit any school considering the "college-to-university" metamorphosis. I wish that I had known about this change while in the research phase of my dissertation. Needless to say, I am impressed with the attention to detail to which this institution has committed itself and the administration's willingness to provide this info to stakeholders. In a word, "Impressive."

See the following:

Top Ten FAQ's About UVU.
University Status Commentary.
Documentation.
Governance and Administration of Higher Education in Utah.
Students' FAQs
Communities of Engaged Learners Initiative.
Marketing and Promotion.

The school appears to be using a "Translucent Warning" brand implementation strategy (Kaikati & Kaikati, 2003) in the process of changing its name. By keeping the primary identifier of "Utah Valley," but the dropping of "State," this is an example of what I termed as a minor-complex name change. See Chapter Three: Realizing the "College-to-University" Change from my dissertation. This chapter outlines the various brand implementation strategies and types of name changes instituted when colleges transitioned to a universities.

See USVC edges toward university debut by Brittani Lusk of the Daily Herald

Rebranding a National University

2007-12-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Brad VanAuken on the "Branding Strategy Insider: the Branding Blog" describes the process of rebranding Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute without changing its name. He provides the story behind the Rensselaer tag line: "Why not change the world?"^TM

See his blog entry at Branding Strategy Insider.

Facebook petition sinks revamped logo

2007-12-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

Here's one I found by accident last night and wish that it had been included in my dissertation. At Vermont's Middlebury College, students protested the change in institutional logos and did so via Facebook. While student activism has not been as successful in branding issues as have alumni efforts, here's one example of the power of the Internet and concerned students who forced the college's administration to cave on their original intent to rebrand the institution's seal.

See the article in the student weekly newspaper. Unfortunately, the Facebook group "Just Say No to the Middlebury Logo" is no longer available. A companion article explains that a variation of the new logo will be used — it just will not replace the original institutional seal.

While most administrators appear not to involve students in such decisions, there are times when these stakeholders may need to be consulted. In my research, student dissatisfaction was successful when coupled with alumni and other groups. This occurred at University of Mary Washington, Case-Western Reserve University, and California State University of Pennsylvania. With the exception of the Mary Washington rebranding, the student protests alone may not have been as successful. In other examples, the students were apathetic about what the institution was doing in regard to branding issues.

It is an interesting story and I find in noteworthy that students preferred a traditional logo than a streamlined, rectilinear, and contemporary style logo. Regarding other issues, the students appear to be very active and contemporary in thought rather than traditional in nature. To me this appears to be a dichotomy; however, not knowing this school (noted as "one of the nation's top liberal art colleges") nor the student body, I have no answer to this apparent conundrum. Some comments pro and con are found below the main article.

The Beginning

2007-12-25T05:55:00.000-08:00

Greetings. It's Christmas morn and the presents are all unwrapped - I got mine, an Irish bouzouki, several weeks early as a combination present for my birthday and Christmas. I've been driving everyone nuts for the past several weeks learning to play the thing. No one here appreciates my eclectic musical tastes. It is not my fault that the family doesn't value the many great musical styles I appreciate, so I have become a denizen of the basement or the bathroom where I may "jam" in peace without fear of reprisal.

With that said, I thought no better time than the present to start this blog. It is based upon the research I conducted for my dissertation on educational branding and rebranding. The document is found in its entirety at http://www.newriver.net/.

One of my mentors asked me what am I going to do with all my free time and my new-found knowledge and I replied "me thinks I'll start me a blog." They tell you when you write a dissertation that you are the expert in the field, so I've been driving those who can't hear my bouzouki playing with information regarding higher educational branding. After all, they tell me I am expert — so, I might as well pontificate. So, this serves as the introductory post to what will probably become an infrequently managed blog as rebrandings, although popular these days, are not very frequent in the scheme of higher education in general. In other words, there shouldn't be a post every day on the topic only as the phenomena dictate (plural intended as there are different sorts of higher ed rebrandings).

In a nutshell, my dissertation, which carries the title of Survival of the Fittest? The Rebranding of West Virginia Higher Education, primarily deals with the topic in relation to West Virginia higher education. With that said, there is research dealing with the rebranding of over 150 institutions outside of West Virginia. I only considered U.S. based rebrandings of regionally accredited institutions (although some lesser status nationally accredited institutions served as illustrations). Most institutions in the study transitioned from college to university status, but all types of rebrandings were noted.

The primary institutional rebrands charted in my mixed method study include the following West Virginia rebrandings in chronological order:

Morris Harvey College to The University of Charleston in 1979,
Salem College to Salem Teikyo University (now Salem International University) in 1989,
Wheeling Jesuit College to Wheeling Jesuit University in 1996,
West Virginia Institute of Technology to West Virginia University Institute of Technology in 1996,
The College of West Virginia to Mountain State University in 2001,
Concord College to Concord University in 2004,
Fairmont State College to Fairmont State University in 2004,
Shepherd College to Shepherd University in 2004,
West Virginia State College to West Virginia State University in 2004,
Ohio Valley College to Ohio Valley University in 2005, and
the proposed rebranding of West Liberty State College to West Liberty University in the near future.

Additionally, there is a case study on the numerous institutions that have used the "Allegheny" educational brand.

Here it begins, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.