Utica College becomes Utica University

UTICA, N.Y. — Calling it the “worst kept secret” after news leaked Wednesday afternoon on social media, Laura Casamento on Thursday formally announced that Utica College has become Utica University effective immediately.

“The future is very, very bright for Utica University,” university president Casamento said. “Utica is and will continue to be a university of learning, opportunity, and hope.”

The main difference between a college and a university is the level and type of degree offered. According to U.S. News & World Report, a college is typically a smaller institution that emphasizes undergraduate education, while a university offers a variety of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Casamento said Utica had been functioning like a university for years, as it offers graduate degrees in three of the seven different allowed disciplines eligible for university status.

The New York State Board of Regents approved the new university designation earlier this week after it updated its definition of a university last month. The move, which represents nearly 20 years of effort by the school, symbolizes recognition from the regents that “the degrees we present to our graduates warrant the university name,” Casamento said during a news conference announcing the change.

While Utica College was commonly referred to as UC, Utica University will simply be known as Utica for short, she says.

Work is already underway to install new signage around campus and change the name in digital spaces. Work such as replacing the monument signs at the Burrstone Road campus will take just a little bit longer, Casamento added.

During the press event, she noted that students have told her, “the new name is not ‘official official’ until it’s on a hoodie,” before a group of students sporting new Utica University hoodies joined her at the podium for a photo.

When asked about the impact for current students, Casamento said there won’t be much impact in their day-to-day life at Utica. The school’s financial model won’t change either, she said, and there won’t be a tuition increase due to the name and status change. However, students will benefit from having a diploma that says university once they graduate.

She also expects the new university name to help the college with international recruitment. In other countries, the word college often means the equivalent of high school. That can keep potential international students from looking closely at any school with college in the name, she said. However, the term university is recognized around the world as an institution of higher learning. “It’s terrific for our branding,” Casamento contended.

Past graduates, who either received a Utica College of Syracuse University diploma when the college was affiliated with Syracuse University or simply a Utica College diploma after the college became independent, won’t be left out of the excitement, Casamento noted. A process will be in place for past graduates to obtain a Utica University diploma if they want one.

“This is just another step in the evolution of Utica and what we mean to the community,” Casamento concluded. “We are a university, and we’re very proud of it.”

Syracuse University launched Utica College in 1946, primarily as a school for veterans returning from World War II. The college became financially and legally independent of Syracuse University in 1995 but didn’t make the transition to full independence until 2008. The school began offering graduate programs in 1998.

According to its website (www.utica.edu), Utica has approximately 5,000 students, 150 full-time faculty, and more than 29,000 alumni. Along with the Burrstone Road main campus, Utica operates the Robert Brvenik Center for Business Education on Genesee Street in downtown Utica and has satellite locations in Florida and Syracuse.