A rash of Facebook groups developed shortly after the Board of Trustees announced its choice for a new school name. The groups, although admirable for voicing their opinions, are mostly misguided. They’ve gone as far as questioning whether or not the name change process was fair and transparent.
The Criterion has questioned many different administrative decisions over the years, and even we can see it’s idiotic to question the transparency of the process.
Throughout the entire survey process, the administration has made it clear that it would take the top six to eight names, voted on by students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders, to the board to vote on. Despite being uncomfortable with anything that isn’t a popular vote, recent history has shown that it’s a bad (and expensive) idea to leave a new name up to the masses. Metro State recently tried to change its name to Denver State University after a survey of students and alumni picked that name. It was shot down by the state legislature. So Metro State wasted money on surveys and research.
Colorado Mesa University isn’t the smoothest name in the world, but the acronym flows well. Most importantly, it fits the criteria of what the administration was looking for in a new name. In no specific order, the three things the administration wanted in a new name were: geographical anchor, heritage, and brand equity/clarity.
CMU meets the geographical anchor qualification by having “Colorado” in the name. Although University of Western Colorado could have located the college better than CMU, Western State College was in inflexible opposition to a name change. Rumors were circulating that Western State officials were prepared to take legal action for trademark infringement.
Mesa State University does nothing to locate the school. Sorry to tell you Grand Valley and Front Range natives, Mesa State College does not belong to you. This school is an outstanding academic institution that can and should be marketed outside of Colorado. The notion that MSC is a local school is outdated and financially unsustainable. CMU places the school in Colorado, and allows for easier marketing to out-of-state students. That will attract more students paying higher tuition here.
Heritage doesn’t become any clearer than slapping “Mesa” right in the middle of the name. It maintains a piece of the local geography that has always been part of this school’s identity.
Brand clarity and equity is what knocks out University of Western Colorado. Challenging Western State isn’t exactly the best way to establish a unique, new university name. Mesa State University puts us in Arizona, and it’s hard to establish a brand unique to Western Colorado when people think you are located in Arizona.
CMU strikes a balance between the top two choices. It doesn’t have the local feel of Mesa State University and doesn’t locate us quite as well as Western Colorado University. But it compromises to offer us a new name, worthy of our newly titled university.
u
jameyer@mesastate.edu