Why is Penn's name so stupid?

nmf1102
Wed, 09 May 2012 07:06:04 +0000

The use of “Penn” is to strengthen the brand name. Other universities named after locations struggle similarly with branding, with some exceptions, e.g. UCLA, MIT. Those with distinct names tend not have that problem, e.g. Harvard, Yale, Princeton. Others extend the name to give it more identity, e.g. Columbia University “in the City of New York.” Others are able to have a general location-based name and a more specific one, both of which are associated with prestige, e.g. Berkeley or UC Berkeley. By adopting “Penn,” the university is trying to find its own niche. I think it would have been better off with “UPenn.”