Utica College is Now Utica University

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UTICA UTICACOLLEGE IS NOW UNIVERSITY

THE ANTICIPATION WAS HIGH IN THE CYNKUS WELCOME CENTER ON FEBRUARY 17, 2022. An announcement was to be delivered by President Laura Casamento, and the locals news media, the Board of Trustees, students, and many members of the faculty and staff were buzzing in the building’s atrium, ready to hear the news that, according to chatter already circulating on social media, promised to be big. After a brief welcome from Board of Trustees Chair Robert Brvenik ’77, President Casamento took the podium. “It is my pleasure to talk to you about the worst-kept secret in the Mohawk Valley,” she said, the quip immediately breaking the tension and eliciting laughter and applause. Indeed, the word had gotten out — but it didn’t diminish the excitement in the air when President Casamento officially announced that that the New York State Board of Regents had approved and endorsed the college’s petition to elevate to university status. “We will now be known, forevermore, as Utica University.” Casamento went on to explain how the moment signified “much more than a name change.” “It represents the culmination of a decades-long commitment to strategic growth, academic excellence through innovative programs and curricula, and an unwavering belief in providing incredible, life-changing opportunities to all students through higher education.” In fact, the change in designation was more than two decades in the making. It had been long lobbied for by former President Todd Hutton, among other administrators and leaders of the institution, since 1999, when Utica added its first graduate programs. At the time, New York was the only state requiring the creation and operation of doctoral level programs in order to be called a university.

In almost every respect, Utica was already operating as a university — and the New York Board of Regents simply had to catch up. “Nearly every institution in every part of the country that resembles Utica College was long ago recognized as a university,” Hutton has said. At last, signs of hope surfaced in December 2021, when William Murphy, New York State’s deputy commissioner of higher education, recommended the amended definition to the Higher Education Committee of the Board of Regents. In a memo, Murphy noted that “the term ‘college’ presents a significant marketing challenge” for New York institutions aiming to compete at the national and international level. The Board seemed to take heed. Months later, in January 2022, the New York State Board of Regents announced a dramatic change to the definition of “university” that had been in place since 1969. The amendment removes doctoral programs and degrees in two or more professional fields, adds graduate program discipline areas, and requires an institution to have at least three registered graduate programs in order to receive the “university” designation. Utica exceeds the requirement, offering 20 graduate programs, including doctoral programs in both physical and occupational therapy, MBA programs, and masters programs in health administration, nursing, and education.

ANATOMY OF THE UTICA UNIVERSITY SEAL

The Utica University seal incorporates a number of important symbols.

The laurel, part of the original UC-SU undergraduate academic seal, symbolizes honor and achievement.

The focal point of the seal is a shield, used in heraldry, that represents “family ties” to Syracuse University as well as the Utica University community as a family. The five bars, depicted as the five stripes of white space stemming from the peak, represent the five areas in which the University reaches out to students to educate and develop them: liberal arts, sciences, professional studies, extracurricular activities, and continuing education. The arch, formed by white space, represents the archway at Plymouth Church through which thousands of students passed to take classes on the original Oneida Square campus.

The dates on the seal mark four important years in the University’s history (see timeline below).

The book represents learning and knowledge.

Its “U” shape stands for Utica and Utica University.

The peak on the bottom of the seal’s shield is an abstract representation of the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library, the center of learning on campus.

MCMXXXIII

Syracuse University extension site (1933)

MCMXLVI

First year as a college (1946)

MCMXCV

Chartered by the Board of Regents as an independent institution (1995)

MMXXII

Regents award Utica 24 university status (2022)

With the Board’s amendment, Utica was among the first private institutions in the state to be granted university status. “In terms of the breadth and depth of our programs, this change is a true reflection of who we are today as an institution,” said Casamento at the news conference. “This exciting news will strengthen our ability to recruit students and faculty internationally and from other parts of the country.” The announcement concluded with yet another milestone: the ceremonial unveiling of the hoodies. “Our students tell me that the new name is not ‘official official’ until it appears on a hoodie,” said Casamento, as a dozen student ambassadors approached the podium, all wearing the first-ever batch of Utica University hooded sweatshirts. “So, of course, we made that happen,” said President Casamento, slipping on her own. 

New Name, New Look

A guide to Utica University’s redesigned visual brand identity

Before After

Fast facts about the new look:

• Designed by Joe Bosack & Co., a national branding and design firm • Maintains the same color palette and typography as the previous design • A slightly modified moose logo is the primary athletic logo • Features Gotham font used in the institutional logo as an athletic word mark, from which a standalone “U” secondary logo

is extrapolated in an effort to more closely align the athletic identity to the institutional identity • “Achieves a much cleaner, easier-to-use system of marks that allows greater ease in presenting and maintaining a consistent image of Utica University,” says Vice President for Presidential Affairs and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Kelly Adams.

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THE BUZZ ON SOCIAL MEDIA

What members of the greater University community are saying about Utica’s new name

Linda Smith Griffin ‘72

What a momentous day. I know how long and how hard many people worked toward this goal. Bravo!

Frank Cittadino, Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts

FANTASTIC! Utica University is poised to grow even more as a significant national and international center of learning and research.

Tom Baker ’13

End of an era. Progress. While I’ll miss the nostalgia of knowing it all my life as, and graduating from, Utica College, it’s better for the institution and all those attendees yet to come. Congrats, Utica University. You’ll always be UC to me.

Lenie Herrera-Kline ’17

Congratulations my alma mater! Proud to be a graduate of this school!

Rrezart Dema ’16 “Never Stand Still”

Roger Shapiro ’83

Are the t-shirts ready???