<p>I’ve been thinking this for a long time and decided finally to say it out loud.</p>
<p>As we’ve been looking into science- and engineering-oriented colleges, I’ve noticed that a lot of schools in the South are called Something-or-Other Tech. But it’s not like Caltech, which stands for California Institute of Technology, or Virginia Tech, which stands for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.</p>
<p>No, these schools’ official names are Louisiana Tech University, Texas Tech University, Arkansas Tech University, and so on. And to me that just sounds ignorant, as though whoever named the school didn’t understand that “tech” is short for “technology” or “polytechnic” but still wanted their school to sound impressive, so they put “tech” in the name. This is like giving a college the official name Mish State instead of the more dignified Michigan State University, which anyone would agree would be ridiculous.</p>
<p>Before someone inevitably jumps all over me, this is not about anti-Southern bias. I’ve lived in the South and loved it. But the fact remains that most, if not all, of these schools are in the South.</p>
<p>Does this strike anyone else as kinda dumb?</p>
<p>All of these schools you name had their names changed over time.</p>
<p>Texas Tech was Texas Technological College.</p>
<p>Louisiana Tech was Louisiana Polytechnic Institute.</p>
<p>Arkansas Tech was Arkansas Polytechnic College.</p>
<p>Many schools have “nicknames”…lots of folks call U of Michigan…UMIsh…</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand your point. Those tech schools have a rich history of technology in their backgrounds and continue to have strong programs in those fields today. So what if they happened to shorten the name from technological or technical or polytechnical or whatever…to tech. </p>
<p>In New England…everyone calls RPI…RPI. WPI is WPI. RIT is RIT. Nicknames also. Even MIT…is MIT to most people.</p>
<p>My 90 year old mother (who grew up in Texas, went to UT-Austin, and now lives in Atlanta) would tell you Georgia Tech (even if not its official name), as in Rambling Wreck, has been known as such for a long long time. I do think that tech has increased in stature since she went to school, but these schools have always been tech schools.</p>
<p>Do other states refer to their “state” school as State?<br>
In NC, everyone refers to UNC-CH as “Carolina” and NCSU as “State”
You’ll know a person is not fr. here or is a recent transplant if they use the full name.
As a kid growing up in NC, you either pulled for State or Carolina.</p>
<p>I said it sounds dumb to me. I didn’t say they weren’t good schools. And I wasn’t making a point. I was stating a feeling and asking if anyone else feels the same way.</p>
<p>But Texas Tech University is not a nickname. It is the actual, official name of the school.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech, on the other hand, is a nickname. The actual name is Georgia Institute of Technology.</p>
<p>Here’s an analogy: I’m thinking of naming my daughter Barbara. However, I already know that everyone is going to call her Babs. (Let’s say I live in the 1920s.) So I put “Babs” on her birth certificate. I think that’s dumb, too.</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn’t let the name influence you. Somewhat of a tangent, my brother did his graduate work at Georgia Tech (and if you say Tech in Atlanta, you mean Georgia Tech). Had he worked harder undergrad at Case, he could have gone to a better grad school (his statement actually was if he worked at all). That being said, staying in the Atlanta area, Georgia Tech grads are highly prized. I think the lesson, somewhat, is that if you can not go to the elite schools, you are better off picking an area of the country where there are no elites and staying there, at least for a while. </p>
<p>As time went by, he has turned down many jobs from Silicon Valley. One time it was funny, the recruiter said, we’ll get you a nice house, into a country club, sports tickets, etc. He said, I earn less than the SV company would be paying, but I have all that in Atlanta, why should I move?</p>
<p>I’m not fond of abbreviations but MIT and Georgia Tech are instantly recognized names. I am sure they hired a public relations firm to come up with something to “contemporize” their image and make their name more “hip.” Some public relations campaigns are more successful than others, though, but at least they’ll save on miles of type every year.:)</p>
<p>Many of these universities were founded to focus on technological subjects but have since evolved into more comprehensive universities.</p>
<p>An interesting counter to your example is Missouri University of Science & Technology. Originally it was Missouri School of Mines, then became University of Missouri-Rolla, then last year changed to Missouri S&T.</p>
<p>I love the name Missouri S&T. It was unfortunate that it had a name like a minor branch campus for so long, when it is a great university in its own right.</p>
<p>It was originally “Texas Technological College”. Somewhere along the way, the name was changed…probably to reflect what folks were CALLING the school anyway. It’s not like the folks at Texas Tech don’t understand or realize that Technological is part of the school…it IS part of the school.</p>
<p>Look at it this way, Texas A&M is often referred to as “the Aggies”. Jokes about “aggies” go back almost 80 years, but no one - and I mean no one who wants to hire a good engineer would not want to talk to a graduate of Texas A&M.</p>
<p>Same thing with Tech. ‘Texas Tech’ is an easy handle for a school that’s out of the way for most folks - without looking at a map, do you know ehere Lubbock is? That in no way means the school has low standards or is less desirable than, say, the University of Texas, just because of its common name.</p>
<p>You know what? Just for fun, I’m going to start saying the words that everyone keeps putting into my mouth anyway.</p>
<p>Here goes:</p>
<p>The people at Texas Tech are too dumb to know that “tech” stands for “technological”. They don’t even know they have an engineering school! How dumb can you get? :D</p>
<p>Who would hire an Aggie? Anyone called an Aggie must be a total hick. I would never, ever hire an engineering from Texas A&M, because they must be stupid. :D</p>
<p>Now, to those of you without a sense of humor or irony, I say: Fire away. Write a few paragraphs about how wrong I am. Have fun.</p>