BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Several local schools have formally changed their names to drop the “college” title and tack on “university.”
The switch started with D’Youville, Daemen, Medaille, and just this month Buffalo State.
While the designation from a college to a university seems like just a name change, those in higher education say it means so much more.
“We’re certainly happy to be a university, and we’re happy that our lobbying efforts have paid off to benefit other institutions in the area as well,” Chief of Staff at D’Youville University, Jason MacLeod said.
It’s been almost a year since D’Youville College became D’Youville University, paving the way for several other local colleges to adopt the name change.
A year ago, the New York State Board of Regents voted to loosen the number of doctoral programs an institution must offer to use "university" in its name.
New York was the only state that still required the creation and operation of doctoral-level programs to be a university.
“Since we made that transition, we’ve received about 11 million dollars in grant funding, we’ve spun off several private enterprises in our health professions hub, we’ve seen an uptick in international students, primarily from Canada,” MacLeod said.
The changes in Western New York come at a time of transition for colleges and universities nationwide.
According to the national center for educational statistics, undergrad enrollment in the U.S. dropped by 9% between 2009 and 2020, but that trend is expected to reverse itself by 2030.
MacLeod says it’s a win for all.
“It’s moving toward becoming a more comprehensive institution. We’ve seen a lot of entrepreneurial endeavors start to take off, and we’re stimulating those things such as our pharmacy, our rehabilitation gym, and the health professions hubs. That’s making our university not only a location where students are educated but a location that interacts with the business world."
