Stop the A. GRU Name Change: Students and Augustan Residents Against a Name Change

Reasons why you should care about GRU’s name change:
1) Students, the ones funding and getting a degree from the institution, had no say in the matter
2) The purpose behind GRU’s name was to signify the state’s only public professional health schools, and their mission is to serve the state as a whole, hence the multiple rural campuses. Neither this mission nor the composition of students in its programs are primarily tied to Augusta, including GRHealth clinics that reside outside of the city.
3) Dr. Azziz MD, the president who changed the name to GRU, was replaced by Dr. Keel PhD this July, who intended to change the name back to his alma mater Augusta College, an obvious conflict of interest regardless of publicized intentions.
4) The governor won’t comment on the decision, saying it was made by the board of regents
5) Removing the state’s name further removes national recognition, starts rapport over, and shows our institution lacks any firm foundation.
6) Recommending professors will now be Augusta University faculty which again holds no current respect.
7) Changing the signs alone previously cost $3.8m. Further spending for name changes reflects how incapable the institution is at budgeting its allocated funds. Will donors continue to donate when they see that their money keeps going towards changing their alma mater? Think about the cost to change signs, uniforms/scrubs, GRU hospital name changing and anything in them labeled GRU, school merchandise, and cyberspace including emails and lecture videos
8) There’s already movement among the Augusta community to change the name again in the future, to revert it to the original Augusta State University.
9) Apathetic MCG students should note that colleges are supposed to revel in their University, not turn the other cheek. Think about how our GRU nursing, dental, and PhD colleagues are affected.
10) We currently park behind a gas station.