Shannon Muller, Guest Writer~
Lynchburg College is currently undergoing a rebrand and name change, and in the fall of 2018 it will transition to the University of Lynchburg.
According to assistant vice president of Lynchburg College communications and marketing, Mike Jones, “Lynchburg College has been operating as a University for some time now…with nearly twenty graduate and three doctoral programs.”
“We’re rebranding the college, which means we’re working with an outside advertising agency on a better way of telling our story, and we need to broaden our market,” said Jones.
Lynchburg College hired the branding firm Ologie in the summer of 2017 to research and rebrand the institute. According to their website, Ologie is a branding and marketing firm that conducts research to learn about the best way to brand a University.
After the marketing team interviewed two companies, Lynchburg College hired them because “they understood what Lynchburg College is and what the University of Lynchburg will be,” said Bryan Gentry, the director of communications at LC.
Many physical changes will appear around campus in the future. Gentry said students and faculty can expect changes from business cards to road signs, but the University of Lynchburg campus will continue to show the history of LC for many years to come.
In preparation for LC to make the transition to the University of Lynchburg, Ologie has already interviewed up to 100 students, faculty and staff, and they plan to conduct a survey on all members of LC in order to collect more data, said Jones.
“This survey will collect everyone’s input and lead to a campus-wide meeting to inform students, faculty and staff about what will have to happen to change the name,” Jones said.
Jones believes public information about the name change is important because it directly affects current and prospective students and faculty.
Upcoming 2019 graduates will have the opportunity to choose whether University of Lynchburg or Lynchburg College appears on their diplomas.