There is no new name yet for the consolidated Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences universities, and it will be up to committees to pick it, GHSU President Ricardo Azziz said.
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His preference would be for a new name that reflects statewide and national ambitions.
After it is selected, the university can proceed with an extensive new sign project that was put on hold as consolidation loomed.
“Everybody needs to know at this point there is no name on the table, not secretly, not otherwise,” the president said. “We haven’t the foggiest idea. It is going to be done through a collaborative process with external experts.”
Consolidation committees with representatives from both schools probably will be formed in a week or two with approval from state Chancellor Hank Huckaby, he said. The university system has said Azziz will be in charge of the consolidated universities.
Azziz said that he has no prejudice about what the new name will be but that it is likely to be new.
“My guess is that both names will go away and you will have a brand-new name,” he said. That is to reflect a new institution.
“This is truly a new university,” Azziz said. “When we choose a name, we want to make sure the name does reflect who we are and who we want to be and what our role and influence will be. That it highlights that we have ambitions to really be recognized nationally as a great university.”
When it became GHSU less than a year ago, the school had projected that adding signs and making other name changes would cost about $2.9 million. First, however, it had to square away renaming its health system, which was finished about five months ago, Azziz said.
“By the time the medical center name was corrected, then we sort of had heard about this possible consolidation, at least on the street,” he said. “So we wanted to wait.”
“A couple hundred thousand dollars or even less” has been spent on that project so far, mostly for things such as letterhead, business cards and temporary plastic signs that adorn the buildings, with the bulk yet to be spent on permanent signs, Azziz said,
“We need signage in the most desperate of ways,” he said. “But the issue is, we have to be very frugal in the way we approach it. We have to be smart.”
What likely won’t change are the traditional names of colleges, such as the Medical College of Georgia for the medical school or the Hull College of Business at ASU, Azziz said. Nor is there any reason to change ASU’s mascot, he said.
“Well, frankly, I like Jaguars very much,” he said. “I’m all for cheering for the Jaguars.”
Other university systems around the country are watching the consolidation in Augusta as a potential model, he said.
“It’s an exciting time for Augusta, and very few communities have the opportunity to really create a whole new university that, if done right, can be a great university at both the state level and the national level,” the president said.
Georgia Health Sciences University President Ricardo Azziz and Augusta State University President William A. Bloodworth Jr. will discuss the consolidation in four town hall meetings Thursday, two on each campus. GHSU will hold meetings at 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Lee Auditorium, and ASU will have meetings at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre.
Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences universities are likely to be renamed as they merge into one institution. What should the new name be? E-mail your suggestions to: tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com. The Chronicle will include suggestions in an upcoming story.
Augusta university and medical college, bait & tackle, airport and tire care center.
Yes, we sell moon pies!
How about:
-Harvard on the Hill and All Points in Between University ?
-Abnormal State?
Leave it ASU... Azziz State University.
The new name can't have "University of Georgia" anything in it. The merger of the 2 schools did not merge under the umbrella of the University of Georgia. That would have been like so many others in the country - UAB, University of Tennessee, etc. But, imo, watch the medical school in Athens. It will become its own free standing medical school.
Likely true, Agrit. But the newly merged university could petition the Board of Regents to be brought under the UGA umbrella. Then there would be one medical school program serving the state with two campuses. It's too logical.
I'm still trying to find information about 'medical tourism.' What about THAT?
Georgia A & M (ASU & MCG)
or Arts & Medicine
University of Augusta--NOT!! (Are you kidding??)
Jaguars--NOT
GO GREEN WAVE!
Ummm, well the way he is thinking, this could be a radical name change not related to anything currently in place. It could simply be a word that expresses something. I like that.
I'm still puzzled why some want to link the new, combined school to UGA? Why? This is a new, national power in education and research.
His preference would be for a new name that reflects statewide and national ambitions..... how 'bout SADM. (Spend ALL Da Money!)
Riverman1: "This is a new, national power in education and research." As measured by what?
ClaraBell, the powers-that-be also claimed the Golf and Gardens was a world class facility, the TEE Center would generate millions of dollars in revenue and that the Tooth Fairy was real.
If they say it, it must be true.
I'm still surprised Dr. Azziz is thinking of NEW names. This could be something none of us were thinking. It could be a non geographic name which would be interesting.
ClaraBell, you asked why I think this will be a national power in education and research. Because I saw the statistical beta analysis comparing the rate of growth measured against the studies accepted for national journals extrapolated with a time line with increments postulated over years divided into months conjoined with the supplementary contribution studied using variables per cubed function on a sliding scale. It all points to a national power in education and medicine.
The new name should be River University. Thanks, Riverman.
We could ask Barry Paschal to name the thing. He names everything else around here.
If naming the new school is as hard as it was to name the courthouse, we're in for a long haul.
I've already mentioned my belief that UGA–Augusta would result in the best outcome for the medical campus here; but all the name suggestions so far are not meeting Azziz's criteria. Here is what he said above:
His preference would be for a new name that reflects statewide and national ambitions.
I guess that means we must have the words hope and change in there for the national ambition. I'm not sure Georgia has any offical ambitions, but Deal has been talking a lot about dredging the Savannah harbor. Perhaps we need something along that line.
Harbor University of Hope?
LL, why do you want UGA as part of the name? We are all part of the Unversity System of Georgia, but most don't carry the name Georgia and certainly not UGA. Columbus St., Kennesaw, Armstrong, Valdosta. So why should we?
Harbor University of Hope has a nice ring, but we are not a harbor town. Ummm, not sure exactly what we are except surrounded by cotton fields.
Here is my reasoning, Riverman. Making the university here in Augusta a part of (a subsidiary, if you will) University of Georgia assures a single, unified medical school. Otherwise, the two medical school campuses will ultimately drift apart into two distinct medical schools, and Athens will likely dominate. If it is clear that UGA–Augusta is under the auspices of the already-established UGA, this medical campus here can maintain its primacy better because it will fall under Mike Adams’ (and his successors) authority.
Surrounded by cotton fields...that makes me think of Tobacco Rd. & moonshine stills....
Where are the cotton fields now...in South Ga.
I'm sure you are aware of many precedents all across the nation:
UA–Birmingham
UT–Chattanooga
USC–Aiken
University of Arkansas–Little Rock
They are sister campuses of the main campus in another city. Remember, making our new Augusta university a part of UGA is more than just a name — the new univeristy would actually become a part of the existing UGA.
They've still got a few cotton fields in Burke and Jefferson counties.
LL, I get what you mean, but here's my reasoning. The Athens med school is going to drift away in any case. We both know that. But it's going to take decades before they have a school anywhere near ours. It's just too costly and complicated to become something this big. Look at USC's med school. It's pitiful compared to MUSC, in Charleston.
There's also the possibility if they did come under Adams and UGA, he would simply start to move things to Athens.
Then there is the whole name thing. Not using UGA which everyone knows is in Athens gives it a feel of being a larger, more independent school. I notice in SC, USC Spartanburg changed their name to Upstate. Coastal Carolina actually broke away from USC. So it does indicate an independence when you are not using the big school name.
Interesting comments anyway. We've probably looked at the name issue more than anyone in town right here on the AC.
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