Category: higher education

Drexel plans a westward expansion

One of the arguments we at the University of Missouri-Rolla used to bolster our case for a name change to Missouri S&T had to do with the projected drop in high school graduates in the Midwest. Because of the projected decline, we explained, our university must more aggressively recruit students nationally and internationally — and a name that better described our university’s essence would aid that effort.

Drexel University in Philadelphia is also anticipating that decline — a 10 percent drop in Pennsylvania beginning in 2009 — and is looking to the west. But rather than expanding its reach in the traditional fashion, Drexel is planning to open a stand-alone campus near Sacramento, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. (Link via University Business.)

Drexel President Constantine Papadakis says a friend has pledged to donate 1,100 acres of California farmland to help Drexel establish the university.

Under the proposal, the university would sell 500 acres of the donated land to generate at least $100 million that would be used to finance construction of the infrastructure. Papadakis said he was confident of raising another $100 million in donations once a deal is in place.

“Not many universities have an opportunity to start on donated land with $100-million-plus funding opportunity,” says Papadakis.

Oh, for just half the funding opportunity.

Another university name change in the works

Regular readers of this blog probably know all about the name change under way for my employer, the University of Missouri-Rolla, which will become Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) on Jan. 1. Now another campus of the University of Missouri — the University of Missouri-Columbia — is considering a name change of sorts.

The Columbia Tribune reported on Friday (Aug. 3) that the Columbia campus — more often referred to as MU or Mizzou than UMC — is considering dropping the “-Columbia” from its name. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch also reports on the proposal, quoting MU Chancellor Brady Deaton as saying, “Our aim is to properly brand it as the major university in the state. It should be the University of Missouri, period.”

Deaton is calling the proposal a “name restoration,” rather than a name change. It’s a complicated argument that probably only makes sense to Missourians and graduates of any of the four University of Missouri campuses. If you’re really interested, you can read my brief explanation on the Name Change Conversations blog I maintain for UMR.