The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education and Human Services will drop the last three words from its official name after a motion passed unanimously in the Ohio University Board of Trustees full board meeting Friday.
Renée Middleton, the dean of the Patton College, said the college’s mission has not and will not change with the name.
“The name change embraces our belief that education serves a broad group of programs, students and alumni,” Middleton said.
The Patton College is made up of five different departments — counseling and higher education, human and consumer science education, educational studies, recreation and sport pedagogy, and teacher education.
The name change will help attract more students and be more memorable to employers, Middleton said.
“From a marketing and branding standpoint, it’s easier for people to remember who we are,” Middleton said.
She added that the change was essentially faculty-inspired.
“The faculty came up with the notion; it was something we really thought about,” Middleton said. “We always felt like we were committed to human services, but we wanted to send a message that we wanted to fully embrace new students.”
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