Dixie State College launches name change survey, seeks public input

ST. GEORGE – As part of the effort to identify a new university identity and brand for Dixie State College of Utah, the institution and Sorenson Advertising launched Thursday a new comprehensive online questionnaire designed to engage all of DSC’s stakeholders.

All stakeholders, which include current and potential students, faculty and staff, alumni, benefactors, legislative and government officials and community members, are encouraged to participate in the survey. It will be available online until Dec. 14, the last day of fall semester final exams. To take part in the survey, please visit DSC’s website.

Last month, DSC announced its partnership with the St. George firm of Sorenson Advertising to establish a new institutional identity that will honor and communicate the heritage, history and traditions of the institution, build upon the already established brand and carry DSC into its second century and beyond. Over the past several weeks, DSC and Sorenson Advertising have engaged stakeholders in the process through one-on-one interviews, focus groups and public forums.

A special community forum will be held Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Community Arts Center in St. George. The forum is free and open to all members of the public.

For more information on the name change process, contact the DSC Public Relations Office at 435-652-7544.

Submitted by: Dixie State College of Utah

Related posts

Name change forum, Dixie State College encourages public input on university transition

Dixie State students convene over school name change

Letter to the Editor: Minority Coalition stance on college name change

ON Kilter: Dixie State; there’s more at stake than a name

Perspectives: Dixie State College, resisting the tyranny of the minority

Confederate soldiers come tumbling down; Dixie State College feeling the heat?

ON Kilter: When a sculptor shapes public perception, who speaks for whom?

Letter to the Editor: Restore Dixie; bring back the Rebel and the Confederate statue

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

13 Comments

  • Omari November 13, 2012 at 7:27 pm

    It’s time to retire ‘Dixie’. It’s not a rural college in rural Utah any longer. We are a nationally recognized metropolitan area which means many things have changed and many more eyebrows and criticism have and will be raised as people from all walks will seek not only this community to live in, but the new univerisity as well with the name Dixie being so commonly used. Gaining a university will put us on the almighty international map.
    People change, times change and places change. St George has always been about change, let’s embrace it. Afterall, ”Dixie; doesn’t have to go extinct, the name can still exist in its history/heritage, just not in such a bold way of it being the name…

    • Karen December 11, 2012 at 3:46 pm

      Good points. I agree completely.

  • Big Bob November 14, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    Couldn’t agree more with Omari. Move Forward, don’t let something as simple as a name make everything stuck in neutral. It’s what’s best for the community.

  • william November 14, 2012 at 4:15 pm

    The first Europeans to see the river were Fathers Escalante and Dominguez on the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition. Their route became the Old Spanish Trail. When they arrived on the upper Virgin River watershed on October 14, 1776, they encountered Southern Paiute farmers who greeted them with ears of corn. Because the land was verdant, Father Escalante called the area “Dixie.”

    Early Mormon settler John D. Lee described the Southern Paiutes’ farming of the land in 1852, “The Santa Clara River is 1 rod wide and 20 inches pure, clear water-rich bottoms, though narrow, and heavily timbered for the distance of 30 miles. On this stream we saw about 100 acres of land that had been cultivated by the Pintes [sic] Indians, principally in corn and squashes; and judging from the stocks, the conclusion would be that heavy crops are and can be raised in these vallies. This tribe is numerous, and have quite an area of husbandry.

    • Karen December 11, 2012 at 3:45 pm

      The comment that Father Escalante named the area “Dixie” is incorrect. “Dixie” is not a Spanish word. Also, the Spanish word for verdant would be “Verde”. Both the wikipedia article where I assume you found the quote (see Santa Clara River) and the book referenced in the wiki article are incorrect.

      The name Dixie came about because many of those called to the “Cotton Mission” were from southern states and they named the area “Dixie”.

  • Charlene Leavitt December 2, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    I was born and raised in St George.Why chande the Dixie Colledge nams?Then you wouls have to remove the Big D on the black hill then remove the DIXIE on the red hill..If the people who want it changed don’t like it.Then go back where they came from.Locals who was born and raised there only know it as Dixie Colledge.

  • Tyler December 2, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    The good ole boys wanna keep the name. The new mascot will be the cotton pickers.

  • earl December 11, 2012 at 8:33 am

    I think this is a bunch of crap
    Dixie should remain dixie

  • Collddn December 11, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    That’s what the matter with this world today! We have to give into the whiners! Dixie is St. George, and will always be. To chang the name would be giving up the heritage to southern Utah. I was raised in Dixie. To me it was named Dixie for the warm weather and for the variety and abundannce of crop
    s that could be grown. Everything the pioneers needed. Lets not forget those that dedicated their lives to Dixie (St. George).

    • Tyler December 11, 2012 at 7:16 pm

      Dixie is NOT St George. St George is St George. You butt hurt people act as if the city’s name is Dixie! it’s the NICKNAME!! Control your emotions, once again, it’s ONLY a NICNAME!

  • Ron December 11, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    William & Mary. Rutgers. Oberlin. Texas A&M. Southern Utah University. Cornell. Vanderbilt. DIXIE?? Get real!

    • Billy Bearden December 11, 2012 at 10:58 pm

      Washington and LEE University – Lexington Va, University of the SOUTH – Suwanee Tenn

  • Ivan Ivanovich Streltsov December 18, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    Stalin wins again. You don’t like something, pretend it doesn’t matter. Change the history, pretend it never existed or it was wrong anyway. Some thin skinned liberal decides a symbol of pride, honor and courage doesn’t belong on his/her/it’s precious campus. Yes, the Confederal Battle Flag stands for these things. It’s the elitists and liberals that redefined it as an item of racism and hate.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.