Connections Archive

Kristin Thiele
Public relations assistant

What's in a name? Shakespeare suggests a name does not actually change an object. "That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet" (Romeo and Juliet). However, fantasy writer Terry Pratchett suggests a name has power over an object, and, thus, changing a name changes the object.

I believe both can be true simultaneously. While it is true a name does not change the form or shape of an object, it does change our perception. For example, if we called a rose a "thorny bush," we'd probably focus more on the stem than the flower.

All this talk of new names got me thinking about Avondale College's quest for university status. "Avondale Adventist University" does sound grand.

Another Seventh-day Adventist tertiary institution, Walla Walla College (Washington, USA), earned university status years before it changed its name. The reason? Walla Walla felt comfortable with the name, "college" (and it would take a lot of money to change the stationary).

Becky St Clair, Walla Walla's news and information coordinator, noted while it might appear easy to change status, it took a lot of work to change name, especially one with a good reputation. "Changing an institution's name isn't simply a matter of the president waking up in the middle of the night and deciding they're ready for a change. Many years of work, evaluations, and more work take place before an institution obtains the prestigious, ever-longed-for status of university. And then the name change begins," she says.

The big, shiny "university" status symbol is worth obtaining, but we mustn't forget it's only a symbol of what we are. Avondale delivers quality higher education and equips students for service to the community and to the church. We don't have the shiny symbol . . . yet, but that's OK--our current name has an excellent reputation.