Q: Over the past four or five years, the name of the Medical College of Georgia was changed to Georgia Regents University. Now it has changed to Augusta University. What were the reasons for the changes and how much did it cost to make these changes considering signs, paper information, manuals, etc.?
—Jeanne Marie Marcil, Tucker
A: The name was changed to Georgia Regents University in 2012, when Georgia Health Sciences University (previously the Medical College of Georgia) consolidated with Augusta State University.
Replacing signs and other materials for that switch cost $3.8 million, according to published reports.
The name was then changed to Augusta University in 2015, as university leadership sought “a name that would pay homage to the city of Augusta,” a school spokeswoman told Q&A on the News in an email.
Augusta University had been one of the favorite choices in 2012 surveys, The Augusta Chronicle reported.
Augusta’s News Channel 6 (WJBF-TV) reported last January that the university replaced the gym floor at a cost of $18,644 and had spent $68,000 on merchandise.
Another $60,000 had been spent on brand development, the station reported.
“While some items have been transitioned, others remain,” the spokeswoman wrote. “Some items, such as stationary, will only be replenished when the current items have been used. A multiyear, staged transition has been planned to minimize costs.”
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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