The last thing anyone wants to see is tuition go up. Higher education funding in the state of Colorado has fallen off. Mesa State will continue to see a smaller chunk of change from Colorado as the state works to operate without a deficit. A name change by the college will strengthen marketability, and in turn may increase the number of out-of-state and Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) students.

For in-state students, which account for about 90 percent of the student population (according to Mesa State’s website), a decrease in state funding means a tuition increase.

Mesa State already operates at a $3 shortfall for a cost per credit hour for in-state students. WUE, out-state students, donations, and other assorted income make sure the college can operate in the black.

If higher education funding continues to fall, in a worst-case scenario, the college could be operating at a $37 deficit per in-state student if they just do the standard nine percent tuition increase.

A perfect way to offset rising tuition and increase visibility of this growing institution is to adopt the university label and adopt a new name such as University of Western Colorado. Sorry, Mesa State doesn’t just belong to the Grand Valley. Community colleges have bought out the small school, local, low-income market. Mesa State needs to be more marketable outside of Colorado in order for us to enjoy all these awesome, big school amenities.

I discovered Mesa State on a fluke. I attended a high school baseball tournament in Grand Junction and a recruiter told me to check the school. I honestly thought Mesa State was in Arizona, and studies show that other people do too.

Bernett Research interviewed 2,535 prospective students and parents in Colorado, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah about Mesa State College and the potential name change.

Outside of Colorado, the highest percentage of respondents who knew Mesa State’s location were Utah residents. Nineteen percent is abysmal, and that’s the highest percentage. Thirty-four percent of respondents who answered incorrectly thought Mesa State was located in Arizona. We’re often confused with a community college in the metro Phoenix area. When the product that’s being sold is confused with something else, that’s terrible marketing.

Sixty-six percent of those surveyed preferred a school with the name university. In the past, the title of  “university” brought with it some level of prestige. Now, almost any four-year school can achieve university status. But any kind of tool that can be used to draw out-of-state students even if it’s a perceived level of prestige, should be utilized.

Those that are worried about a name change affecting their memories of their beloved Mesa State shouldn’t be. The nice, shiny diploma sitting above your desk can still say “Mesa State College” if you want it to. If you want an advantage in the job market, by having a perceived level of prestige, your diploma can be replaced with one that has university stamped on it.

The best thing Mesa State has done so far is solicited response from students and alumni groups. If students are apathetic to groups, even when they’re offered free pizza, then the college shouldn’t be responsible for the lack of response.

If you have an opinion on the name change, and some how missed the barrage of forums held about the potential name change, contact us at thecrite.com, or email the Director of Marketing and Recruitment, Rick Taggart at rtaggart@mesastate.edu.

jameyer@mesastate.edu