Enrollment at the University of Akron is declining, and revenue is down. To many prospective students, the institution is indistinguishable from the handful of other regional universities in northeast Ohio.
Top officials this year surveyed the trajectory of the college and weren’t happy with what they saw. A change was in order: a rebranding and a rethinking of mission.
Earlier this month Akron rebranded itself as "Ohio’s Polytechnic University."
The change has been praised by many as adapting to calls for more workforce-ready graduates. But some have called the move a risk, expressing worries that the rebranding will discourage students from applying to Akron’s arts and humanities programs.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/06/03/purdue-university-and-u-akron-embrace-new-polytechnic-identity