George Washington University Scraps ‘Colonials’ Nickname for the Sake of Unity

George Washington University has decided that its “Colonials” nickname is no longer a “source of pride” or unifying.

In a statement on Wednesday, Grace Speight, the chair of the George Washington University Board of Trustees, said, “The board recognizes the significance of changing the university’s moniker, and we made this decision only after a thoughtful and deliberate process that followed the renaming framework and special committee recommendation that considered the varying perspectives of our students, faculty, staff, alumni and athletics community.”

“A moniker must unify our community, draw people together and serve as a source of pride. We look forward to the next steps in an inclusive process to identify a moniker that fulfills this aspiration,” she added.

Meanwhile, Mark S. Wrighton, the university’s president said, “While some may disagree with the outcome, this process has determined that changing the moniker is the right decision for our university.”

The review of the moniker began in earnest in July 2020 as some companies chose to change their names due to concerns that they were insensitive, following the death of 👤George Floyd.

An article on the university’s website laid out some of the key findings from the report on changing the nickname.