Officials at Penn State Delaware County are testing the waters for a possible name change for the campus, citing confusion in the area because of its current title.
There are several colleges in the greater Philadelphia area with the word "Delaware" in the title, including Delaware County Community College, the Delaware Technical and Community College and the Delaware College of Art and Design, said Helene Bludman, director of marketing and university relations for Penn State Delaware County.
Ever since the campus was founded in 1967, people have been confused about the name, she said.
"We've always had problems with the name, and it has continued to be a problem with the other educational institutions with the name Delaware in the area," Bludman said.
Officials are currently wrapping up market research on two names, Penn State Media and Penn State Brandywine, Bludman said.
"Brandywine is kind of descriptive of the area we're in but broader than Delaware County," she said.
The names were chosen because of the geographical connections they share with the campus. The mailing address of Penn State Delaware is in Media, and Brandywine encompasses a wide region near the campus, Bludman said.
A name change would better reflect the student body of the campus, said Allison Thornton, director of development.
"It's true that about 70 percent of our student body comes from Delaware County, but about 20 percent come from Chester County," she said, "and we're seeing more and more students from Philadelphia and South Jersey."
Thorne said student reaction so far has been positive.
"I think the students are very appreciative that they've been consulted and excited to be a part of the process," she said.
Bludman said she did not anticipate any problems with a name change, pointing to several other colleges and universities that have changed their names in recent years, including Arcadia University and Rowan University.
"After a period of time people come to accept [the new name]," Bludman said. "If it were at all controversial, we wouldn't move ahead."
Penn State Delaware County is not the only commonwealth campus to consider a name change. On Jan. 19, the Penn State Board of Trustees approved a name change for Penn State McKeesport to Penn State Greater Allegheny. The name change was intended to support the campus's regional presence, according to a press release.
"We're in the process of talking to faculty, students, alumni," Bludman said. "We want to get everyone's opinion on whether this is a reasonable course to pursue."
