Augusta Commission member Jerry Brigham has sent a petition to the Regents that asks that Augusta be included in the name of the newly consolidated university. The commission could discuss the issue at its next regularly scheduled meeting on June 5 or at a later meeting, he said. Brigham said he is not trying to create controversy but thinks the commission ought to be allowed to weigh in on the subject.
“It’s not saying we’re not going to be happy if Augusta isn’t in the name,” he said. “But we think it ought to be included.”
More than any other issue, the new university name has generated the most interest in the consolidation, with more than 1,250 people submitting suggestions to a consolidation group working on the issue.
A “short list” of possible new names is expected to go out in mid-June for internal and external feedback, and three finalists might be decided at a committee meeting in mid-July, Azziz said last week.
Ultimately, an unranked list of three names will be submitted to the regents, who will decide what the name will be. Without directly alluding to the petition, Azziz said, “inviting (the regents) to weigh in in advance is a bad idea.”
