A university which has a campus in East Lancashire has been given permission to change its name to "better cement its brand position."
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), which has a campus in Burnley, has been given approval by the Office for Students (OFS) to officially change its name to the University of Lancashire.
Visible changes will be incremental over the coming year and the transition is considerate and in line with the student recruitment cycle.
Vice-chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin said: “Changing our name to the University of Lancashire better reflects our regional economic importance and will aid continuing efforts to raise brand awareness further afield.
READ MORE: UCLan praised by Ofsted for offering social mobility in Burnley
“Attracting more people to live and study in the North West is an important strategic objective we share with local government. Changing our name allows us to better cement our brand position and build on our recruitment efforts both nationally and internationally.”
Expectations are that by September 2025, the University of Lancashire will be operating fully under the new name. Signage around the Preston, Burnley, and West Cumbria campuses will be among the first changes.
Big changes that need to be made digitally to ensure prospective students can find the university via search engines will also be prioritised and over time the university's website's domain name will change.
Professor Baldwin added: “The University is the county’s largest provider of graduate-level qualifications and one of the largest universities in the North West.
“As an established civic pillar across the county and an important member of several pan Lancashire partnerships, we work with both public and private sector organisations on various matters affecting Lancashire.
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“Locally the acronym UCLan was widely used but for many outside the region they don’t know it was the title of a university nor where it was located. By changing our name, we will highlight the fact that we are a respected university and operate predominantly across the county of Lancashire.
“Our history can be traced back to 1828 and in four years' time we’ll be celebrating our 200-year anniversary. Within that time, we’ve successfully changed name six times. We believe in the spirit of opportunity for all, which is the same motto and ethos as when we were created as the Institution for the Diffusion of Knowledge. Our alumni over the many years we have been in operation continue to be very important to us.”
In nearby Bolton, permission was granted this week for the town's university to change its name to the University of Greater Manchester.
The proposal to change the Deane Road university’s name sparked widespread debate and controversy when it was first announced last year.
But on the morning of Thursday, December 19 vice chancellor Professor George E Holmes told a gathering at the university that the name change had come into effect.
Addressing assembled staff members, he said: “This is a historic moment for this university. You are now staff of the University of Greater Manchester.
"Bolton is an amazing town and it is our base, and it is our home where we intend to stay, it is the home of the University of Greater Manchester, now in Bolton.”
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