University of Western Ontario changed its name to Western University

[mooncakez]

Article Link

What do you guys think?
Do you guys like it? or dislike it?

[biee]

I like it, I think that's much better.

WU > UWO

[jz1n]

Do not want.

[RenoV6]

Honestly I don't like either name, and that's not because I belong to their rival.

UWO is weird, and western university just sounds weird.

[redgrandam]

People often say 'UWO' here. To say 'UW' sounds weird. Recently I think more just call it 'western', western university seems odd because of the change, however I'm sure the new 'western' will be the only abbreviation.

[enhanced]

Honestly I don't like either name, and that's not because I belong to their rival.

UWO is weird, and western university just sounds weird.

Well don't call it that. Do you call Yale or Princeton "Yale University" or "Princeton University"? While obviously UWO doesn't have the same worldwide recognition, this is what they are trying to achieve. They want you to call them "Western" and have that name synonymous with this institution in Canada.

Guess what? We've been calling them "Western" here in Canada anyways. See what they did there? Now they want the rest of the world to do the same. I see what they are trying to do and I applaud their efforts.

Personally, as an outsider waiting to attend Western Law this fall, I'm fine with the overall change. You can see that uniformity is something that was prioritized with this refresh and the results are much better (the faculty logos are very nice and consistent). The coat of arms being the main logo gives it a traditional feel. It seems like they desire to be more like U of T, Queens, Waterloo and McGill (coat of arms logo) than York or Ryerson (modern logos).

As for the name itself, again, you can see that they want "Western" to emulate the same feelings as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia etc. and I am fine with that attitude. They didn't have much choice with this naming scheme though as they obviously couldn't be "London University" or "Ontario University". "Western" is just the best fit as that's the name adopted by the masses already like I said above. I will miss the UWO acronym though as WU really means nothing.

It's a bold move by Western and I think it will work out in the long run if they stick to it. The backlash is fierce though.

New logo and colors: http://communications.uwo.ca/brandnew/

[tng11]

People are thinking way too much into this name change. UWO's always been referred to informally as "Western" in Canada, and it's not like the name change itself is going to bring it up in the world rankings.

[Simaahoy]

I support the name change. About time

[Squiggles]

Why is this thread labelled "GTA"?

[windforcexx28]

Their main goal is to stay consistent with what people know them by, which is "Western". Unless you went to the school, most people don't know that "UWO" is what they traditionally labelled themselves as.

I like the new design as it gives a more "modern" kind of feeling without sacrificing it's identity as a well-established university.

[misyan]

this is stupid, you will never attract international students by changing your name. How about actually put some money into research so you can start bragging about something else other than that HIV vaccine? or stop hiring seasonal lecturers that has other jobs/priorities and are never available after the class (and definitely won't be available after the school year for reference letter purposes) ?

[Syne]

this is stupid, you will never attract international students by changing your name. How about actually put some money into research so you can start bragging about something else other than that HIV vaccine? or stop hiring seasonal lecturers that has other jobs/priorities and are never available after the class (and definitely won't be available after the school year for reference letter purposes) ?

Yeah, HIV vaccine is no big deal I guess.

How about developing the first (and still used) birth control (pill)?

I admit, I did have some advance knowledge of this, although the details were a very, very well guarded secret up until launch. I guess Western haters will keep hating regardless.

[misyan]

Yeah, HIV vaccine is no big deal I guess.

How about developing the first (and still used) birth control (pill)?

I admit, I did have some advance knowledge of this, although the details were a very, very well guarded secret up until launch. I guess Western haters will keep hating regardless.

um, I am actually a current western student, and I meant the research UWO is doing now, there is not a lot compared to Queens or Mcmaster, and certainly not UofT. This is why UWO is low on international rankings, we are not really a research focus university, just selling the "best student experience" won't get UWO to the top.

[imflying12]

Western university sounds better, no need for that ontario part at all.

[xlc_88]

I didn't go to Western for undergrad but Western University sounds pretty good. It looks weird though because the original name was based on its location. "Western" doesn't really tell you much if someone is wondering where the University is in Canada.