Regents stupid name change to Excelsior

That should be THE Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch University, just to avoid confusion. That way, no one will ask, "What's a Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, anyway?"

Pronounced just like it's spelled? The way my name is spelled, it should be pronounced "geese," but it's not. We say it with a long "i" sound. This, of course, causes confusion. Sometimes, just to play with someone's head, I will say, "Well, it is spelled like "geese," but it's actually pronounced "Johnson." Then I walk away.

Tracy Whateveryousayyourlastnameis<><

 

"Capella" is one case that indicates, for me, that there may be hope for Regents; when The Graduate School of America first announced that it was changing its name to Capella, my first thought wasn't barbershop quartets--though I understand some people leaned in this direction--but rather the kneepap (patella). For close to a year, I thought of kneecaps whenever anyone mentioned Capella University. Now I'm finally over it, and I'm okay with the name--but I still think I'd prefer The Graduate School of America.


Cheers,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)

 

I'll admit that I have a special place in my heart for "Flaming Rainbow"; sure, it's a little, uhm, distinctive--but it's so unpretentious, and that's the main thing I want in a university name: something simple and descriptive. If Regents changed its name to Albany City College, I would have been thrilled. It's the baroomph-pah of "Excelsior" that grates my cheddar.


Cheers,

------------------
Tom Head
www.tomhead.net

co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press)
co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)

 

1. It always reminds me of high school because I graduate from Charter Oak High School (Covina, CA, USA).

2. There really is a Charter Oak residential treatment center (or centers, actually)in California (and possibly elsewhere). There was one in Covina just down the street from my high school.


Tom Nixon

 

Bill Dayson writes: "So why don't schools save the money that they are wasting on consultants and just pick up a road atlas of England. There are thousands of little villages with usable names: Vernham, Collingbourne, Ramsbury..."

As It Happens on Canadian Public Radio had a lovely feature a couple of years ago, on the publication of new survey maps in Britain, and the fact that the actual village of Shithead once again was not included on the map, even though they pronounce it "shih-THEED". They had a charming interview with the mayor of Shithead, cautioning him not to say the common pronounciation of his village. Of course if a university were to locate there, it might literally put them on the map.

 

One might "get on the map" with a little spelling manipulation in the above case, with the insertion of a "gh":

Shighthead.


------------------
Quinn

 

…yet any map of England clearly shows that Wetwang is located in Humberside.

Among the names that should illicit caution is Touro University International, particularly for those seeking a degree in International Business, as in Portuguese speaking countries, Touro means Bull (and International Bull doesn’t make it sound any better).

This is slightly reminiscent of Chevrolet’s bumbling attempts to market a car named Nova in South America; in Spanish no va translates to it doesn’t run (or go).


Gus Sainz
http://collegedegrees.tripod.com

 

If that doesn't do, there is the aptly named Glasgow suburb of Bearsden. It cries out for a DL institution to be titled after it.

Then there is Maidenhead near Slough in Berks. Or to steal a march on the competition, there's always another town south of Glasgow which would net you, "Biggar University". And I hear tell that the fledgling University of the Highlands will be renamed after those dominant conurbations of the North, "Peterhead and Wick".

 

You would think that someone in the business of teaching the occasional business course would have the presence of mind to do market research on such an important decision. I have to agree with Lawrie...The name er...whatever she said...

 

ROFL!

 

This is an interesting idea. However "XXX City College" often designates a community college, rather than a 4-year institution. At least this is the case in California, where Los Angeles City College, San Diego City College, Santa Monica City College, Pasadena City College and several others are all community colleges.

Tony

 

It always seems like the degree mill operators come up with decent sounding names. Maybe they could go straight and change their line of business by becoming consultants to legit institutions looking to change their name.

John

 

Columbia is also a privatized branch of USNY?! Seriously? Cool! If I can confirm this, it will make one heck of a selling point... ("Two USNY administrations have gone private. My alma mater was one; the other was Columbia University.")



Cheers,

 

Tom:

This was my source:

http://www.regents.nysed.gov/history.html


Regards.
Tommy

 

Here's another source:

• 
  ... After the end of the Revolutionary War, King's College became Columbia College by an act of the State Legislature in May 1784. At first incorporated as part of the University of the State of New York, the College became an independent institution in 1787 with its own Board of Trustees. ...

 

And you've got Amber's change to Amberton. The school decided to add "ton" to the name to more accurately depict the school as a community of learners. I always thought that Amber was kind of a cool name. It was distinctive.

Posted by kgec :

"Columbia went from USNY administration to a private college in the 18th century and SUNY became an independent state institution in the 1960s. The change doesn't seem to have hurt them any."

For what it's worth, Amber started as an extension campus of Abilene Christian University. After it moved to Garland, Texas, the university adopted the mission of catering to adult learners.

http://www.amberton.edu/GenInfo.htm

Tracy <><

 

While we're on the subject, Western New England College started as the Western MA extension campus of Northeastern University, and became an independent school in 1951.


Bruce