The Metropolitan State College of Denver still has not come up with a name change that will appease DU.

However, a solution is in the works and is before the Colorado State Legislature, which convenes tomorrow and must approve Metro’s name change.

“As Metro State’s leaders and Colorado’s lawmakers meet in the coming months to determine a name that best serves all interests, we … hope all involved will carefully consider these findings and avoid names that may confuse the very individuals we all seek to help, those future leaders whom we all call our students,” said Kim DeVigil, DU’s director of news and public affairs.

In 2010, Metro’s administration proposed a name change to “Denver State University” that would indicate its expansion to graduate programs.

DU objected, saying that the name change would create confusion and infringed on DU’s branding of its name.

Since then, little progress was made over Metro’s desire to adopt a new name that incorporated both ‘Denver’ and ‘university.’

Now a new initiative is under way to find a solution.

Metro “hopes to find a compromise” by the end of January regarding the name-change initiative, according to Cathy Lucas, Metro’s associate vice president of communication.

In 2010, Metro’s Board of Trustees voted to investigate name-change options.

The board found that 80 percent of the 9,000 Metro community members who completed surveys supported a name change that indicated Metro offers several graduate degrees and could use the description of “university.”

“The University of Denver and Metropolitan State College of Denver have, over decades, developed strong brands with distinct missions that are vital and proud components of Denver’s intellectual landscape,” said DeVigil. “Our objective has been to inform the issues … so that Metro can choose a name that truly reflects its important mission without causing confusion among students, potential students, alumni and employers.”

Since then, DU and Metro have been working to find a compromise to select a name the affected parties can agree on.

In August, DU initiated a national study to increase brand awareness.

Given a variety of choices, the name that was most selected was Metropolitan State University of Denver, according to DeVigil. Though Metro declined to participate, it offered its preferences and suggestions. According to the college’s own independent research in November, Metro preferred  the same name.

The trustees established a series of four goals to encapsulate the purpose of the name change: to make evident the quality of a Metro State College degree, to specify the college’s location, to remove any doubt that Metro is a ‘community college’ and to condense the current name. Individuals expressed their hope that the name should represent the college’s heritage and future simultaneously.  

In the Dec. 28 issue of the Denver Post, DU and Metro State community members composed a series of blog and e-letters.

Some comments were defensive of individual schools’ positions, while others were called “flawed and condescending,” with respect to the cost and reputations of the two higher-education options in Denver.

“That was the only hostile move that I saw,” said Lucas.

“I can see that the name change would help Metro’s image and reflect more of what they do… The University of Denver, however, has some valid concerns, such as the need to keep the trademark, as well as confusion regarding online searches, donors, out-of-town journalists and others,” said one blogger, H. Mondragon of Golden, Colo.

Lucas noted that this issue has sparked more reactions than other hot topics such as funding.

“We have seen more passion and drive on this issue,” said Lucas. “It’s very emotional with faculty and students.”

With the legislative session opening Jan. 11, Lucas expressed her desire to have the language of the bill establish a new title for the 46-year-old institution, no later than the end of the month.  Because Metro is a public school, the Colorado legislature must approve the name change.

If all goes well with the legislative portion of the name change, the Metro team will then go through a logo development process, potentially impacting two new on-campus buildings in mid-construction.