Name change

University News and Notes
1

Hi all —
I’ve been off this board for a while, but I sense a reinvigoration of the name change debate. I sent Phil an email and copied the Board on it tonight — I’d ask each of you to do the same. His interview in the news said if the alumni put up enough of a fuss he will have to look into it — I’m doing my part. The email I sent is copied below. Feel free to use what you like. Thanks, and go Niners!

—

Chancellor Dubois —

I am very proud of the things that UNC Charlotte has accomplished since I graduated almost ten years ago. We have expanded the research campus, built a beautiful uptown campus, and started a football program. The university has truly blossomed over this decade.

While we have grown, our reputation in the city and business community has failed to keep up with our improvements. Many achievements by faculty, students, and alumni have been attributed to the Chapel Hill campus of the UNC System. This in turn decreases the value of our degrees.

Ten years ago when I was a member of the Student Government Association I wrote legislation calling for a vote on the name change. While this vote didn’t lead to the university changing its name, I succumbed to the “if you build it they will come” mindset. We have built it and you and your administration have done a tremendous job — the reputation did not come.

This topic has recently been aroused once more, and I implore you to look into this once more. I understand it is a politically sensitive topic, but I know we will be able to stand on our own name with the power of the school. It’s time we unify our branding under the Charlotte moniker and drop the “UNC” from our name.

I stand ready to help in any way possible. Thank you for your attention.

Darren

2

I might change “aroused”… lol

Otherwise, good letter.

3

[quote=“NinerAdvocate, post:2, topic:32336”]I might change “aroused”… lol

Otherwise, good letter.[/quote]

I try to get a kick out of people by ignoring the connotations of words. :slight_smile:

4

clt says Carson Daly is a 10 handicap?

5

Board of Trustees,

I just wanted to voice my opinion as an alum that I believe it is time for a name change. I understand the hesitancy of faculty on this issue, but as someone who has a degree from our University, and encounters the confusion on a near daily basis, I believe it is long overdue.

I saw several high profile voices in favor of the name change on social media including Clay Aiken and Gene Johnson, and I saw the story active in SGA, the local news, and even the observer. Almost all public sentiment seems to be in favor of the name change.

I believe we hired a marketing firm called “Stamats” that recommended this years ago, and at a hefty price tag at that.

I appreciate your time and attention to this matter. It has been a wonderful year to be a University of Charlotte 49er, and maybe we can tackle this issue together as well.

Thanks,
ImfromClayton
Class of 2014

6

Phil’s response:

Darren: Thanks. I very much appreciate that some folks have noticed the change at UNC Charlotte over the past 13 years.

You know my views on this naming issue, so there is no reason to repeat those. I think the assumption you make is that a change in brand will automatically result in a change in reputation. True, there would be less confusion with Chapel Hill, but then there would be questions about whether Charlotte was public or private, religious or sectarian, etc. etc. etc. Many folks in NC point out that we have plenty of institutions in the UNC system that don’t have names that include the UNC (e.g., Appalachian, Fayetteville, Western Carolina, etc.) but nearly all of those institutions are way older and more established than UNC Charlotte.

It is also important to remember that our stakeholders on such a question go beyond students, whether current or past. Faculty, for one, have professional reputations build on their connection to UNC Charlotte. And on a personal level, when I came to UNC Charlotte in 1991 as provost, I can tell you that the attraction for me was the connection to the UNC system, widely regarded as a system of high quality. The “confusion” we see sometimes with UNC is really the result of some media reps not doing their job very well and we continue to work with media outlets to make sure they get it right.

If a decision is made at some point in the future to investigate the value of a name change, it would have to be a comprehensive look at the impact on a wide variety of stakeholders, and it could be based on whether current students think it’s a good idea. It would also require some professional assistance to assess the cost/benefit analysis. Brand changes are not cheap. In short, it would be a time-consuming process and, given natural limits that exist on time and energy, we simply have more pressing issues right now, including a number of capital construction projects (Science Building, Admissions, etc.), renovation of the academic core, building our hotel/conference center, hiring a new AD, etc.

I am copying my current Board Chair, Joe Price. The Board of Trustees would be the body that would have to recommend the name change to the Board of Governors.

Phil D.

7

My response to Phil:

Phil —

Thanks for the fast response. I appreciate your perspective on faculty recruitment and the significant value the UNC moniker brings. Know that I wrote my note with the best interests of my alma mater at heart — as I know you have as well.

I am not naive enough to believe a name change will be a panacea — I am a change management consultant, after all. It would take more than a switch being flipped to demonstrate to the community we respect our history and our affiliation with the UNC system, while blazing our modern path forward as North Carolina’s urban research institution. We are now the third largest school in the system (the last information I have is from 2015), and making the comparison to a bank account the question is are we depositing more than we are withdrawing. I don’t fully know the answer to that question.

You and I both agree that the media confuses our name too frequently, and I’m glad to hear you have that as a priority. There are several exciting initiatives underway, and I appreciate your leadership on those — UNC Charlotte has benefitted from your vision.

I know words are easy, but I would like to offer as much time and energy to a future study as possible. While I am in favor of a change in identity, quantitative reasoning is vital and I will gladly change my mind if it does not back up my qualitative observations.

Thanks again Phil. I hope to see you soon.

Darren

8

ha…

lazy media fault our brand sucks. OK Mr Burns

9

clt says a courteous and professional correspondence from both parties. Bravo.

10

Lessons have been learned.

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Lessons have been learned.[/quote]
CHP has been tamed. Bout time he find manners.

12

Dubois argument is pure horseshit. It’s just a verbose explanation of his infatuation with the prefix. He offers nothing in support of his contentions.

13

I’m sure I’m reading too deeply, but, TO ME, it sounds like “they sometimes confuse us with UNC-CH, which is highly regarded, so it’s cool if we can trick people into thinking we work there.”

14

I’m sure I’m reading too deeply, but, TO ME, it sounds like “they sometimes confuse us with UNC-CH, which is highly regarded, so it’s cool if we can trick people into thinking we work there.”[/quote]That’s exactly what he’s saying.

Also lol at people wondering if it is private or public. When you build your brand, people know. Is there private-public confusion for Louisville, Cincinnati, Houston, or Memphis?

15

Dubois is a lightweight.

We would eat him alive in my world. He picked right career insulated from sharks

16

One key takeaway from that response is that while he opposes it, it’s ultimately not for him to decide. He told you where to focus your efforts.

Next chancellor will oversee a name change, it’s inevitable.

17

It simply boils down to a lot of people - including faculty and students - liking the association. You can see plenty of support for that in a recent Reddit thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UNCCharlotte/comments/7vz8s4/should_unc_charlotte_drop_the_unc/

“Hell no. So nice applying places and they think I go to UNC chapel hill.”

“Which is a huge bonus for UNCC students. I have a friend that was hired as a Senior VP at JP Morgan, getting paid 200k salary + 90K annual bonus because they thought he was from UNC Chapel Hill.”

“Well wait until after I graduate. I need employers thinking I went to Chapel Hill.”

18

Can we make The University of Charlotte t-shirts? Does the university own the trademark?

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[quote=“SF4Nynah, post:17, topic:32336”]It simply boils down to a lot of people - including faculty and students - liking the association. You can see plenty of support for that in a recent Reddit thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UNCCharlotte/comments/7vz8s4/should_unc_charlotte_drop_the_unc/

“Hell no. So nice applying places and they think I go to UNC chapel hill.”

“Which is a huge bonus for UNCC students. I have a friend that was hired as a Senior VP at JP Morgan, getting paid 200k salary + 90K annual bonus because they thought he was from UNC Chapel Hill.”

“Well wait until after I graduate. I need employers thinking I went to Chapel Hill.” [/quote]

clt says this is trolling.

20

Really? No interview, no previous work experience and no advanced degree or certifications. Just a false assumption that your friend went to THE University of North Carolina and he gets a $300,000 a year job?

There were no other candidates considered no matter what other university they may have attended because your friend went to UNC?

If you are seriously hoping that someone makes a false assumption about where you went to college in order to get your career started, I would advise you to quickly change strategy.

Perhaps the company you choose to go to work for can use the same strategy to be successful in business. Just pretend to be someone that you’re not. Or, hope your customers assume that you are a different company than who you really are.

I am damn proud of the fact that I graduated from the University of Charlotte! The heck with the UNC.

You need to decide if you want to be a SOMEBODY or a WANNABE.

My comments are not intended to be a personal attack but rather to emphasize a point to many. Let’s develop this University to its full potential and quit being content with staying in the shadows.