Why are we doing this?

At Union College, we’re always looking to build toward a stronger future, even as we continue to celebrate our illustrious history.

In that spirit, the College is in the midst of a comprehensive branding update designed to strengthen how we communicate Union’s distinctiveness and the power of a Union education to prospective and current students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public.

Examining whether Dutchmen/Dutchwomen best portrays the image Union wants to project to the world is a natural outgrowth of that work.

Interestingly, our nickname didn’t actually grow organically from Union community sentiment. Rather, it was the work of local journalists looking to add color to their reporting of Union’s athletics teams in the first half of the 20th century. Prior to that time, the College’s teams were simply known as the Garnet, a nod to the school color chosen by the College in the 1870s.

Discussions with students, faculty, staff and alumni over the past few months have confirmed a lack of strong affinity for Dutchmen and Dutchwomen. With that in mind, we are inviting members of the Union community to help us take full ownership of a future nickname that represents Union in a creative and positive fashion.

Our hope is to unveil the nickname before the start of the 2023-2024 academic year in September.