What's in a nickname? A lot!
As part of a College-wide branding update, Union is engaged in a comprehensive exploration of whether to continue with its current Dutchmen/Dutchwomen nickname or whether we should go in a different direction.
The goal of this work is to find a moniker that can serve as a point of pride for current and prospective students, as well as with our alumni base and other members of the Union community.
As part of this effort, we have spoken to students, alumni, faculty and staff to get their impressions on our current nickname. We also asked for your ideas on possible new names.
Not surprisingly, our community has responded in a big way. More than 1,000 people offered more than 2,000 ideas - including more than 400 unique options.
We officially closed the idea submission period on Feb. 24, and work already has begun to winnow the list to a handful of potential options, making use of the evaluation criteria we have developed. We expect that work to be done by the end of March, at which time we will reach back out to our community for more feedback.
Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback to us, especially those who have offered nickname ideas. There's much more to come, so stay tuned!