Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
Very true, though it unquestionably has a directional name, which is what I was really getting at -- the directional name isn't in and of itself a problem for the school. (And I bet lots of people don't know it's private.)
Whatever the NCAA thinks, I've never been convinced that the University of State at Whatevercity is an inherently better name than, say, Eastwestern State University. The former may tell you where the school is without having to consult Google or the Wiki, but it also heightens confusion with and maybe even dilutes the cachet of the other Universities of State at Whatevercities.
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If there is any cachet in the name. University of Louisiana has no cachet, so naming every school in the system that name doesn't dilute anything. It pisses off all the alums that like the name of their school, but makes the sports powers that be happy. The LSU system is completely separate from the University of Louisiana system, so our one flagship school is safe from dilution except for the little known feeder schools LSU-A, LSU-S and LSU-E (but that's always been their names.) Anyway, the name change for many of these schools is not for prestige. It certainly wasn't for ULM. It was to fit the criteria for the NCAA so that more big name schools would pay us to come in for an easy win. We essentially wanted to make money using our student athletes. There was no intention of building a top notch football program or establishing a credible name in sports.
P.S. I don't disagree with you, MC. I'm just arguing the point from the side that is actually running the show. My school's alums lost this battle two years after I graduated. I'm just glad my diploma says NLU. There were rumors that it would change to ULM before we graduated, and I would have been highly pissed off!!