October 9, 2024 – After much resistance over the past several months about a possible name change of the nearby campus, that possibility of a change of the name is still being offered by the university president, Dr. Mark Rudin. The A&M System seems determined to make a change and remove “Commerce” from the name as some believe that the name of the city is confusing to those outside East Texas. The explanation by some is that some future students may not consider the local university as they may think that the word “commerce” pertains to the academic focus of this particular campus similar to words like colleges that contain the word “technical”.
As it seems the A&M System Regents Board wish to move forward on a name change, current A&M Commerce president Dr. Mark Rudin emailed the university community indicating his recommendation to the Board of Regents to change the name to “East Texas A&M University”. Rudin’s message said he’s requesting that the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents consider adding the change to the agenda of its next regular meeting, Nov. 6-8 in College Station. Rudin said that if the proposal makes it onto the agenda, a vote would occur on Nov. 7.
This information should be a welcome relief to those involved as the campus name has always included “East Texas” since its inception as East Texas Normal College in Cooper, TX in 1889. As the name changed several times over the years and always including “East Texas” finally settling on East Texas State University for it’s longest period before merging with the Texas A&M system in 1996.
Earlier this year, a proposal to rename the university Texas A&M University-Dallas was leaked in June and was acknowledged by the university in July. Public response was mostly negative and led to the idea being dropped in August.
Below is the text from the email sent out by Dr. Rudin sent October 7, 2024.
Dear Lion Family,
Our university has experienced exceptional growth and campus expansion over the past several years. It is evident from our record enrollment in the Fall 2024 semester that we serve a large geographic area in the state, providing our students with robust wrap-around services and offering academic programs that enable them to build solid careers and better lives.
Despite these successes, our university is preparing for a challenging future due to a significant decline in the traditional college-aged population in Texas and across the nation beginning in the fall of 2025. Further, Texas colleges and universities in our area are experiencing unprecedented competition from out-of-state institutions that are heavily recruiting in our backyard. Many are even establishing physical offices in our region to promote their universities. These developments are weighing on the minds of higher education leaders here and across the country.
In order to sustain the positive momentum we have achieved in recent years, we must strengthen our university’s identity. To do so, we must increase our visibility and reinforce our mission to serve the rural and urban educational needs of our region.
As you know, we have had many discussions about a proposed name change to help us with this challenge. I continue to hear from students, faculty, staff, alumni and Lion supporters who are actively advancing a number of names for consideration.
The collective sentiment is to change our institution’s name to East Texas A&M University. This choice not only broadens our regional, national and international identity but also reconnects us with our historical roots: “East Texas,” which was part of our university’s name until 1996.
For all of the reasons I mentioned above, and in the interest of transparency, I am announcing here that I will formally request that The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents consider changing our university’s name from Texas A&M University-Commerce to East Texas A&M University.
The consideration process will include the following steps:
· I will submit a letter to Chancellor Sharp requesting that the name change proposal be included as an agenda item at their upcoming meeting, held on November 6-8, 2024.
· I will also submit a request for financial support from The Texas A&M University System for costs associated with the name change. Note that the System has indicated their willingness from the beginning of this process to help with any expenses associated with a name change.
· If accepted as an agenda item, the name change proposal will be added to the Board of Regents’ official agenda approximately one week before the meeting.
· If the name change is on the agenda, the Board of Regents will vote on the proposal on November 7, 2024.
If the Board of Regents approves the name change, it will take effect immediately upon the vote. However, we will request a six- to eight-month grace period to ensure a smooth transition, allowing us to make requisite branding changes.
I recognize there will be questions associated with this proposed name change. We’ll keep you updated as we move forward with this initiative.
Thank you for your support of our university.
Warm regards,
Mark Rudin
President
