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On Jan. 25, the Utah State Board of Regents met before a standing-room-only crowd in the Dixie State College Holland Centennial Commons building and formally approved the college’s highly debated name change proposal. University status for Dixie was also approved by the Board of Regents on that day. The next step on Dixie’s path toward becoming a university will be obtaining legislative approval from the Utah State Legislature, followed by a final signature of approval from Governor Gary R. Herbert.

While most have been eager to embrace Dixie’s transformation from state college to university, the matter of Dixie State’s name change has been much contended as students, alumni, community members and DSC faculty and staff have voiced opinions – sometimes heated – regarding the best moniker to identify the college as it heads into its next 100 years.

A three-month effort was launched at the tail end of 2012 to gather local input regarding what the college should be called when it commences its university incarnation. One-on-one interviews were conducted, focus groups gauged, public forums held and online opinions gathered in an effort to “ensure that everyone who had an opinion about the new name of the university was heard,” as stated by DSC President Stephen D. Nadauld in an official press release from Dixie State College. And the opinions have been loud and many.

Taking all opinions and the various options into consideration, the powers that be – in this case, the DSC Board of Trustees – ultimately selected the name “Dixie State University” as the college’s future nametag, finding it to be the name the majority of Dixie State’s stakeholders favored. Though the matter is now essentially settled and done – pending only legislative approval and that final OK from Governor Herbert – the debate rages on.

The discussions that have been taking place in dorm rooms, student apartments and behind closed doors throughout Southern Utah since the decision was made have also, unavoidably, spilled over onto the Internet. On DSC’s official Facebook page, opinion posts have filled the screen underneath the announcement posted on Jan. 18 declaring that the Board of Trustees had chosen “Dixie State University” as the college’s new name, and more than 700 people have responded to that post since then. The opinions being voiced online are just a reflection of the undercurrent that has been fueling the debate since the matter of university status and a name change first came to the public’s attention.

The majority of Facebook posts on DSC’s page are positive – people cheering that the beloved “Dixie” name has been retained over other options that were presented, such as “St. George University.” But some longtime objections continue to rear their heads, including concerns about ties to slavery and the Confederate South that are commonly associated with the name “Dixie.”

“It’ll be interesting to see how many more people from other states will actually come to a community such as St. George with such obvious culture differences,” one DSC student posted, “because like it or not, no one from out of state will realize that Dixie is part of local heritage and will undoubtedly determine what sort of school Dixie is.”

Many continue to declare they are proud to be from Dixie, but some students have gone so far as to state that they won’t be returning to St. George for fall semester because of the retention of the Dixie name. Some students have expressed concern over the word “State” remaining in the school’s name, because of the junior college stigma they fear will be attached to it.

If the anticipated name change is approved, it will represent the sixth name change the college has undergone since it was first instituted in 1911. The school, located on the original encampment site of the “Cotton Mission” pioneers who first settled Utah’s Dixie, was originally known as St. George Stake Academy. The name was changed to Dixie Academy in 1913, again to “Dixie Normal College” in 1916, and to “Dixie Junior College” in 1923. The school officially became Dixie College in 1970 and then Dixie State College of Utah in 2000.

Like it or not, argue or agree, the name “Dixie” seems here to stay. Now that the Dixie identity is safe and sound, some are beginning to clamor that the college go a step further and reinstate the former Rebel mascot. At present, Dixie State has no plans to revive the Rebel and, in fact, has stated on its official Web site that “A possible change of the ‘Red Storm’ athletic identity could be looked at in the future. However, the ‘Rebel’ moniker will remain retired and will not be an option.”

For more information about the Dixie State College name change and pending university status, as well as the full research report compiled by Sorenson Advertising regarding the name change, visit www.dixie.edu/namechange.