UNC-Charlotte to consider name change

Students at UNC-Charlotte have recently expressed interest in changing the school’s name to the University of Charlotte.

The school’s name is being confused with UNC-CH, and UNC-C students are complaining, said Megan Smith, the student body president at UNC-C.

“All of our crowning glories and achievements are being mistaken for UNC work nationally,” Smith said.

Smith said it is important for the students to have their own identity.

“We need to rebrand ourselves with an emphasis on Charlotte,” Smith said.

Job Fickett, secretary for athletic affairs for student government at UNC-C, said he is working on a survey that will help gauge student support for a potential name change. The survey will also cover a range of student issues.

“The name lends itself to confusion,” Fickett said. “Each of the UNC schools is a separate entity and not satellites of each other.”

University administrators said in order to change the name of the school, the student body president is required to make a formal proposal to the UNC-C Board of Trustees and the UNC-system Board of Governors.

Members of student government at UNC-C said they want to make sure they have full support from students before making a formal proposal.

“This will take a lot of political capital to try to do a name change,” Fickett said.

The university’s administration recently finished a two-year advertising campaign to publicize the school’s current name.

Despite student interest, many administrators said they are not on board for a name change.

UNC-C Chancellor Philip Dubois said in a statement he believes the school’s name should stay the same.

John Bland, spokesman for the university, said it is important UNC-C maintain the connection with the system.

“The UNC system is one of the finest in the nation, and our association with it is a source of pride on our campus and a source of recognition nationally,” Bland said. “There’s great equity in the UNC brand, and UNC-Charlotte, as North Carolina’s urban research university, is an integral part of the UNC system.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.