‘ In August, the Office of University Relations decided to make over the UH logo.
The new logo places more emphasis on the word ‘Houston,’ as it is displayed in bold font on uh.edu. The former logo presented ‘university’ and ‘Houston’ in thicker font than the word ‘of.’
Vice President for University Relations Karen Clarke said one of the objectives of the change is to make UH stand out from other universities.
‘We want to articulate an ownable identity that differentiates UH from others and brings UH vision to life in a meaningful, compelling way,’ Clarke said.’ ‘Our goal is to build pride in UH.’
Clarke said the new logo accentuates the word Houston because it calls attention to the benefits of UH’s location.
‘Our students, faculty, alumni and business leaders told us this is both a strength and a differentiator for UH and affords our students more real world experience,’ Clarke said. ‘Houston offers opportunities for internships and work experience that increase our students’ chances of getting a job in their chosen discipline upon graduation.’
The familiar interlocking ‘U’ and ‘H’ will not be changed, but Clarke said UH is looking to transform its identity.
‘ ‘At other Texas universities, students get their identity from the university,’ Clarke said.’ ‘At UH, we get our identity from our students. We do not want to be like the (University of) Texas’s or (Texas) A&M’s in that the students go to these universities for their tradition and history. We want our students to build their own traditions and make their traditions the traditions of UH.’
‘In my opinion, pride is built from the student’s personal academic accomplishments,’ Interim Director of University Marketing Elisa Crossland said. ‘Whether it be positive interactions with other students, faculty and staff, respect for the hard work of others or the student’s perceived value of the experience and a heartfelt desire to share this emotional connection with others.’
Crossland said part of UH’s identity shift includes training students for careers instead of graduation.
‘Here, you will gain a global perspective, you will work with top professionals and leaders, and you will receive a top-tier education,’ Crossland said. ‘We want to prepare students for the workplace. Others simply prepare students to graduate.’
Crossland also expressed the need to remove UH’s reputation as a second option for students. She said students who have developed this mindset will eventually reflect on their experience at UH as a ‘blessing in disguise.’
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