Scott Scarborough / Photo courtesy of The University of Akron
The professors’ union at theUniversity of Akron says it is not on-board with a plan to change the school’s name.President Scott Scarborough announced last month a strategic plan which could include a name change to better reflect the school’s engineering programs. But an online survey of professors shows that 77 percent of those who responded do not like the idea.The Akron Beacon Journal reports that one of the possibilities is “Ohio Polytech Institute.”
Steve Weeks is president of the Akron branch of the union representing university professors. He says the connotations of the word “polytech” do not align with what the U of A stands for.“I came to the University of Akron because it is a full-fledged university that covers lots of diverse fields. And that’s how I see myself fitting in.”Weeks added that the process of rolling out the potential name change has also been a sore subject for many faculty. And the teachers' union is also split on whether President Scott Scarborough is leading the school in a positive direction.“It’s not necessarily that these are bad ideas – they may be good, they may be bad -- but it would be nice to be able to have an actual conversation among the important players in this. And that’s what universities do.”An online petition against the name change has gotten more than 6,200 signatures. Scarborough is expected to address the name change during a speech at the City Club of Cleveland this month.