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| (above) Metro State's name change debate is questioned by the Denver Post's Editorial staff |
by Denver Post Editorial Board
We're glad to see a pause in the quest to rename Metropolitan State College of Denver the reprieve coming out of concern that the proposed new name would cause confusion with another institution.
During the year-long delay, we hope officials at Metro can better explain to the public and state lawmakers why a name change is necessary.
And they'll need to resolve legitimate concerns raised by the University of Denver that the proposed new name — Denver State University — would step on DU's franchise.
Furthermore, we're still concerned that one of the underlying motivations for the name change, which requires legislative approval, involves mission creep [read entire article].
12 comments:
The decision by Metro to hire a branding company to assist in this name change project must go down as one of the most inept branding efforts in history. I wonder if one day Metro State students will study this branding disaster in their classrooms?
These Metro leaders should recognize that they serve a vital educational need that D.U. clearly does not.Thousands of kids,mostly Denver area, can get a college education by attending Metro. The academic qualifications and tuition are much lower then D.U. but they can still get a good education if they put the effort in.This is a vital need that is well served by Metro.
They should recognize this and stop these cosmetic efforts to be what they can never be;and should not want to be because it detracts from what they are now doing very well.
Metro endowment: $8.6 million
DU endowment: $269.9 million
Metro was a much bigger threat to DU than originally thought, according to DU people.
If I were a DU alum, I would be more worried about the Big Ten Hockey Conference forming and truly being left behind.
With all of these hockey programs folding, who knows what the future is for D1 hockey?
i'm not sure its the most inept branding effort ever... didn't du spend $600,000 on the ruckus/bird logo that is no longer in use?
Touche. Well played. :-)
IIRC when United opened its pilot training facility in Denver years ago, the plan was to call it "The University of the Air." That had to be abandoned when they started getting letters from high school seniors wondering about foreign language requirements and whether or not they were going to have a football team!
The bird logo was designed by adrenaline design in Denver, and the price of the project was well under $50,000 in 1999.
I think I heard DU paid $25,000 for the Ruckus costumes, but I'm not sure.
But whether DU paid $100,000 or $600,000 to implement the bird logo and Ruckus, in hindsight it was a mistake of epic proportions.
"DSU" and bird logo are examples of branding companies imposing the will of the administration on the students and alumni. Both projects were fatally flawed IMO.
The bird was Dan Ritchie and Dianne
Murphy's imposition on us.
They pushed the bird.
Adrenaline had other ideas, but but they were rejected...
DU needs to adapt and overcome by promoting a marketing campaign whose goal it is to inform the public, in a positive light, of the difference and benefits that DU offers as opposed to Metro. DU holds the honor of being ranked 3rd in the nation for ethics and I challenge DU, as a DU student, to positively overcome this change.
DU should be honored that they have built such a strong reputation that Metro finds it profitable to tap into DU's brand marketing, and we should not allow this to pull us away from the morality that comes with our name. As an educational institution we should recognize and appreciate the improvements that Metro has made and should use this energy to motivate us to improve ourselves. Pain should find itself as a smile upon the face of the determined, and so I ask my fellow DU students, staff, and alums: Do we have what it takes to smile, adapt, and overcome?
Let me follow that by saying that DSU is going to be judged on just how closely their colors, logo, etc. resemble that of DU's. Lets breathe easy until we see the proposed logo. I am in no way supporting Metro in an attempt to confuse DU with DSU.
Yeah, because we all know that people keep getting CU and CSU mixed up...
Honestly, changing the name of Metropolitan State College of Denver to Denver State University can be beneficial to all of the involved stakeholders. And if you're worrying about people confusing DU for DSU, just remember - the rich, entitled pricks that want to step on another University go to DU. That should reduce confusion!
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