UT System searching for new university name

In what may prove to be one of the most contentious phases of a newly merged university in the Rio Grande Valley, University of Texas System officials are expected on Monday to release up to five possible names for a new university and solicit public feedback, a UT official said this week. “This is not a contest,” said Jennifer Berghom, spokeswoman for the University of Texas-Pan American, which is helping with the UT System effort. “If themes emerge, the board wants to know,” she said of the UT Board of Regents, which will make the final decision regarding a new name. That decision is scheduled to be made in the November-December timeframe, according to an official timeline published by the UT System. Berghom said the UT System is intent on soliciting as much feedback as possible and hopes to accomplish this by way of social media, through which such feedback can be given instantly. Beyond that, people interested in offering their opinion are encouraged to visit projectsouthtexas.com, a website that provides continually updated information regarding the new university. People wishing to give feedback will also be provided a phone number that they can call to leave verbal feedback, Berghom said. Valley residents and those who have an interest in the new university may also leave their own suggested names for a new university. On Monday, UT officials are scheduled to release a video on that website giving an overview of the process by which UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownsville will be merged to form a new university. They are also scheduled to reveal the suggested names, along with logos for a new university. The logos will be able to help people visualize how the suggested names may look, Berghom said, but the logos should be considered works in progress, as well. The choice of a university mascot and colors for a new university are not expected to be made until a new president is chosen, she said. Berghom acknowledged that the UT System is on an aggressive schedule that targets an autumn 2015 opening. Part of this schedule included an official job posting on Monday for a new university president. The posting called for a “national leader ideally with experience in the fields of higher education, research, and health sciences.” Source: Education News