Goods with the old logo might get sold at auction or given to charity.
Western New England University, formally Western New England College, collected old items with the WNEC name on them which are still being used on campus, during a drive held tuesday to gather up all those items, like the file here with the famous flying W on the cover, as part of a school wide attempt to update to the new name.SPRINGFIELD – Western New England College ditched its old-school logo Tuesday and asked anybody with Western New England College gear to haul it to the campus gazebo and turn it in.
In return, they got a certificate good for Western New England University merchandise once the institution’s rebranding begins in earnest over the summer.
“We’re calling it the Great Old Logo Roundup,” said Barbara A. Campanella , vice president of marketing and external affairs.
In March, the state Board of High Education formally approved Western New England’s transition from a college to a university. Besides greater prestige, college leaders hope the new name makes it easier to attract international students.
The name change will be official in July and formal announcements will be made at commencement ceremonies this month. Western New England will be the only university in Springfield and the only private university in Western Massachusetts.
Kristina Oleksak, who works in Western New England College's alumni relations office, carries a bin full of items with the WNEC name on them during an event on campus Tuesday.Western New England opened a $40 million Center for the Sciences and Pharmacy building in December. The pharmacy school, the only one in Western Massachusetts, opens in the fall and will be just one of the programs making use of that building.
The state Board of Higher Education also approved Western New England’s second doctoral degree in engineering management. Western New England already offers a doctorate degree in behavioral analysis.
Domenic L. Seguro, a sophomore from Ludlow majoring in accounting wheeled a cartload of swag over from the college’s Office of First Year Students and Students in Transition. He had T-shirts, keychains, postcards, letterhead and refrigerator magnets. All of it obsolete.
Campanella said the college might have an auction and sell the collected “college” gear. Or it might distribute the items to alumni group or to area charities.