By Donna Fowler

President Stephen Jordan has announced that Denver State University is out of the mix of potential new names for Metro State.

“We have been given a very clear message from the legislature that we need to propose a different name,” Jordan says.

The College was planning to submit the name Denver State University during the 2011 legislative session, but pulled the request following objections from University of Denver officials that it was too similar to their name.

Jordan points out that the legislature’s request is no different than what happened to Mesa State last year as well. Before selecting Colorado Mesa University, Mesa State received objections to other names they were considering from other higher education institutions.

Metro State has spent the summer conducting further outreach and analyzing branding considerations. An online survey of three new names, all containing the word “metropolitan,” was announced last week: Denver Metropolitan State University, Denver State Metropolitan University and Metropolitan Denver State University

“There is no perfect name for every single person,” says Jordan, “however, the Board of Trustees and I, to the extent possible, intend to maximize the four goals of the Strategic Name Initiative.”

Those four goals are: demonstrate the quality of the College’s degree; eliminate confusion that Metro State is a community college, when it is a four-year baccalaureate and graduate institution; clarify the College’s location in Denver; and make the name more concise.

Metro State Alumni Association President Jim Garrison says that alumni are behind the three new choices announced last week.

“The alumni body and board both value the historical connection with the word ‘metropolitan’ and its abbreviated form ‘Metro,’” says Garrison. “As we move forward to help forge the future of Metro State, the alumni, now 70,000 strong and counting, will support this great institution as it continues to meet the needs and desires of its students and the metropolitan Denver community.”

The results of the online survey will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the Dec. 1. meeting, at which time the trustees will vote on which name to pursue. Watch @Metro for more information.