The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
New name proposed for community colleges
The 12 community colleges that the state wants to combine into one now has a proposed name: Connecticut State Community College.
Mark E. Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State College and University system, pitched the name Tuesday at a meeting of the Board of Regent’s Executive Committee. It was approved and will go to the full board next week.
The selected name is to be submitted in June to the New England Commission of Higher Education, the accrediting body which is considering the merger plan.
“Branding is going to be critical,” Ojakian told the regents, noting that because of the COVID-19 shutdown he could not get the kind of community feedback he would have liked from system constituents.
Ojakian has been pushing forward the still-controversial idea of merging the state’s 12 community colleges into a single accredited institution for three years. The goal would be to keep all campuses but make student transfers seamless, streamline administrative functions and save money.
The initial “Student’s First” proposal submitted to NECHE was deemed unrealistic and was sent back for work based on guidance from the accrediting body.
One component of the work was to come up with a name for the new college.
“It is clear that the choice of a name can influence the perception about an institution and play a role in the decisionmaking process for potential students,” Ojakian said in a letter to the CSCU community. “While a name is an important part of perception, it is only one part of the equation. Organizational values, vision, consistency and experience all contribute to such perception.”
There were three contenders for the new designation.
One, “Connecticut Community College,” was deemed short and concise but did not connote a major change, officials said. There was a fear people would still refer to community colleges as a “system.”
Contestant number two was “Connecticut State College.” Short and easy to remember but lacking the connection to being a community-based institution, officials worried.
“Connecticut State Community College,” includes long words that audiences are bound to shorten. Still, Ojakian said, it incorporates all key points and clearly states what is offered.
“A clear new direction for a new institution,” Ojakian said. “At a time when real change is needed to the way our community colleges operate and deliver educational services to our students ... this option marks a departure from the status quo, signifies a new identity that builds on the past but speaks to the future.”
Naomi Cohen, a regents member, agreed branding was essential and said the new name — like other state higher education institutions — will have its share of “C’s.” “S’s,” and “U’s.”
“I just put that on the table for future consideration,” Cohen said.
The new institution is expected to open in the 2023-24 academic year. Ojakian said there is time to develop what the college will be known colloquially.
Not everyone is a fan of the formal name.
Lois Aime, director of educational technology at Norwalk Community College, said the proposed name is an oxymoron.
“You can either be a state college or a community college,” Aime said. “You can't be both.”
Aime, who along with a number of other faculty across they system have opposed the merger, said the idea of a community college is to serve the community where it is located.
“There is no one community in Connecticut,” Aime said. “It's a small state, yes, but it is also a very diverse state, with different communities that have very different needs.”
Combined, the 12 colleges will have about 80,000 students, making it one of the largest in the country, according to state officials.
Before voting to recommend the new name, David R. Jimenez, a member of the executive committee said it is important to point out that under state statues the regents have the authority and a mandate to do make sure the system remains viable and responsive to student needs.
“We need this,” Jimenez said.
As for what the 12 campuses will be called should the merger occur, Ojakian said a process will be developed to seek feedback from community college students, faculty and staff. Housatonic in Bridgeport, or Gateway in New Haven, for instance can keep their names if desired.