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Syracuse University’s University College changed its name to the College of Professional Studies this summer in an effort to bring clarity to its students.

The college is the hub of part-time education at SU and housed the university’s first full online credit courses in 1997. SU’s Board of Trustees approved changing the name of the college in May.

“I think it’s a wonderful change for the college. We’ve had a very strong and long history as University College,” said Ryan Williams, the associate dean of academic affairs in the college.

Michael Frasciello, the college’s dean, said that a central reason for changing the school’s name was that the name “University College” tended to be problematic. For many students, the name raised questions about whether University College was a college or a university, he said.

“We have all these really interesting professional studies programs, and so the name ‘Professional Studies’ just reflects what we’re doing, and it helps to identify the college on campus but also in the wider national and global community,” Frasciello said.

Before the pandemic, Frasciello believed that the future of higher education was a combination of hybrid classes. He still believes that having this option of learning is important for students because the pandemic has highlighted that everyone learns differently.

“Middle-aged students are now looking for an educational experience that includes a blend of residential instruction, online instruction and hybrid instruction,” Frasciello said. “That’s higher education responding to what students are demanding.”

The pandemic has had no impact on the decision to change the school’s name, but a name change could have potential drawbacks, Frasciello said.

“The largest sort of drawback is that University College is a 103-year-old tradition at Syracuse University,” Frasciello said. “That’s a lot of brand awareness. That’s a lot of individuals who knew Syracuse University through University College.”

The name “College of Professional Studies” sets the college up for the future, Williams said. 

“The change over to the College of Professional Studies allows us to think about how we are going to be a new and improved college for the 21st century,” he said.

Published on September 26, 2021 at 10:12 pm

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