Cal State Long Beach has been referred to in numerous ways, but an official campaign will be announced in the fall, which intends to unify the university under one name.
Vice President of University Relations and Communications Andy Hoang has said that names like “CSU Long Beach,” “Long Beach State,” “The Beach and Cal State Long Beach,” create an identity crisis that weakens the school’s brand with many universities and colleges throughout Southern California.
CSULB has hired the branding agency 160over90 to take part in the university’s rebranding, Hoang said.
Andrea Taylor, vice president of University Relations and Development, is spearheading the comprehensive campaign, and for the past month, Hoang has hosted “campus conversations,” where he gives a presentation on the importance of unifying CSULB under one name for marketing purposes to various student and faculty organizations.
The main goals of the marketing campaign focus on launching the rebranding project, building a new website and creating a social media culture, a style guide and branding the university.
“The importance is that it helps fund critical areas to help support student success,” Hoang said. “This university deserves that we do tremendous work with faculty and staff. [The goals for this project] are all moving at once, we don’t want to just step into the future, we want to create it.”
He said the campaign is currently in a silent phase, but will go live sometime in this fall. Students will be able to attend town hall meetings and voice their opinions.
Although the official rebranding name has not yet been chosen, Dedan Brozino, the Senior Associate Athletics Director said via email that the athletics department favors the names Long Beach State and The Beach.
“We’ve led some several focus groups and have participated in the research that is ongoing by [Hoang] and his team,” Brozino said. “The focus groups have included key figures in the city, such as … staff from the Mayor’s office, key donors to the University’s scholarship program, alumni, [and] coaches.”
Brozino said that “overwhelming results” indicated that Long Beach State and The Beach were the best option for not just athletics, but the university.
While there are supporters of the campaign, some faculty and students opposed the project. Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for the University Art Museum and alumna Shefali Mistry said she believes the lack of support is partly due to the lack of information people are receiving.
“I would say that I have mixed feelings, but I absolutely agree that we need a more consistent name and more consistent branding,” Mistry said. “There are a lot of different reasons, and I do know that there are concerns about whether or not our alumni connect with the school.”
Terri Yamada, professor and chair of the Department of Asian and Asian American studies, said that she believes the lack of support is due to a misunderstanding of the project.
“Faculty need to understand that no one is forced to use one name,” she said. “From a marketing prospective, we are at a peak of a wave of a student demographic that will decline. As we decline, we need to be competitive.”
In the spring semester, graphic design professor Sunook Park collaborated with Hoang’s team and Brozino to help create a project for Park’s Brand Workshop. Students in the workshop are required to design a “strategic brand challenge of a business,” according to the Brand Workshop website.
The group’s presentation was intended to get ideas flowing for the CSULB name change where they included their research on the city, mascots, typeface and branding.
Junior graphic design major Nicole Bella, one of the students who presented the project, said that after all the effort that was put into the project, the most difficult obstacle was creating a contemporary brand while keeping CSULB’s tradition.
“I know this project was controversial, but I just hope the project continues,” Bella said.
When I graduated in ’85 I called the school “Cal State Long Beach” until a coworker from another state tried being polite and asked “oh, that would be the University of California – State – Long Beach”. Realizing that was wrong she said “California State Long Beach University” which she also knew was wrong. Outside of California no one puts the word “university” in the middle of the name so the current name and the “Cal State Long Beach” nickname do not make sense to them.
I have used “Long Beach State” ever since as people have heard of it, it makes sense, and sounds like the first rate school it is, not a satellite campus of some “California State University”.
It would be great if we could get the name formally changed, but even changing the nickname would help the image of the school so much. I hope the new president is able to get done what President Maxson could not when he was trying to raise the academic image of the school.
the fort worth public library just took out public from its name, now it is just fort worth library. people associate state and public with domains that are institutional, artificial, and restrictive. without state/public in the name, long beach will seem more personal, more dynamic, more welcoming. its a byproduct of neoliberalism and stuff. also, cal state san luis obispo is totally the flagship. also the csu system is one that is literally all second tier, since its inception, where UCs that do research are the first tier. it is stigmatizing.
Long Beach University I feel is the best option we have to truly differentiate ourselves from other state schools.
It would make the scholars as well as the sports fans happy. You don’t have to have the ugly CSULB that some want or LBSU that others prefer and disagree on.
Long Beach U. The University if Memphis changed their name, took the “state” out of their name and they saw a positive increase in students applying and more success in their sports departments.
I feel this is the best compromise and more importantly the best option to truly have our great school shine as it truly deserves.
We have been known by many names, and I agree, it should be limited to one; Long Beach State University. We want to distinguish ourselves from many of the other CSU campuses, in name as well as achievement.
Also, our sports team nickname (Dirtbags excepted) should be the Forty Niners. We were founded in 1949 and our name is a reflection of that.
Lastly, our “brand” should consist of the interlocking “LB” letters, as seen on the baseball hats. This should be the “go to” brand for sweatshirts, tee shirts, jackets, etc. The Long Beach “LB” should be as prominent for Long Beach State attire as the “NC” is for the University of North Carolina.
As an alumni from the class of 1997, I highly support the name change and branding of the school to “Long Beach State University”. I have and will continue to only donate to the athletic department when I have funds to donate until the university officially changes it name.
On the school’s seal it says California State University Long Beach. I think this should be the schools official name. Especially since it is linked to the CSU system, and one of the system’s previous goals was to unity its schools under a similar name. However, I prefer the use of Long Beach State and The Beach. Long Beach State being a way in which we call the school. When someone asks me where I went to school, I say Long Beach State, but when I write down the school on a resume I put the California State University Long Beach. In my opinion using just Long Beach State gives the school a bigger brand, giving it a closer connection to schools like Florida State, Michigan State, etc. I guess what I am trying to say is why cant we have both. I am not a fan of saying CSU Long Beach, I dont even think I have ever said it. I do say Cal State Long Beach every once in a while but it feels unnatural.
And The Beach being as it is now, its nickname and sort of athletics nickname. I take pride in saying Go Beach and I went to The Beach. #GoBeach
To be able to speak our school’s name “trippingly off the tongue,” as well as to stand out and apart (as we already do) from all other CSU’s, we need to be Long Beach State and/or The Beach.
Go Beach!
Long Beach State is the best choice as it separates our school as the flagship school it is for the CSU system. I would be mortified if this marketing team somehow chose CSULB.
Won’t settle for anything except Long Beach State University.
I am a Alum who has been going to Long Beach State Basketball and Baseball games for the last 40 years. The School has been know athletically as Long Beach State for the last 50 or so years. The school needs to officially change it’s name to Long Beach State University.
San Diego State University, San Jose State University and some others have already done so. Putting the location first in the name also separates us from the pack.