BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard Community College may soon have a new name.
BCC officials recently hired strategic communications firm Curley & Pynn to assist in a process to gauge community input and direction in choosing a new name, which will reflect the institution's shift to offering four-year degrees as early as next fall Local 6's news partner Florida Today reports.
Recommended Videos
"We have a unique opportunity, an obligation really, to market the college and Space Coast community to broader residents," BCC President Jim Richey said at a Board of Trustees meeting Monday morning.
With a $100,000 budget to work with, officials the firm on an hourly basis to reach out to the community through so-called listening surveys and conduct focus groups in order to narrow down a possible name.
Roger Pynn, president of strategic communications firm Curley & Pynn, told college's Board of Trustees on Monday that the process is not designed to be a scientific poll, but rather seeks to understand and reflect what people feel "close to their heart," he said.
"It's become very clear how much this community loves this college," Pynn said. "While your research has shown that some colleges have been able to make this transition very easily, a number of factors make it difficult in Brevard County."
The firm will ask open-ended questions to more than 200 key Space Coast leaders, college alumni and current faculty, staff and students. Questions might range from why families or students selected BCC for college, why alumni choose to donate to the school and what they expect of the college.
As more Florida community colleges become four-year institutions, names changes have and approaches have varied. Some, such as Valencia College, dropped the "Community" part of their name, while others like Seminole State College of Florida added the word "state." Still others took a regional approach, such as Golf Coast State College, or a more creative approach, such as Florida Gateway College.
This fall, focus groups will discuss possible names and, ultimately, a recommendation and a report will go before college leaders in December. Trustees plan to vote on a name at their Dec. 17 meeting, then seek legislative approval of the name during the spring session.