BROWNSVILLE Before the University of Texas Board of Regents in Austin announced Thursday that UT-Rio Grande Valley was the name of the new merged university in South Texas, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa pondered the Shakespearean question: What's in a name?

For the thousands of Valley residents who weighed in on their preferred name for the university, the answer was unquestionably important.

I love the name, said Philip Martinez, a 20-year-old psychology major. The name fits the region.

The university will be a merger of UT Brownsville and the UT Pan American in Edinburg, forming a single institution that stretches across the Rio Grande Valley.

Martinez, 20, joined dozens of students and faculty at the UTB on Thursday, to witness a live feed of the announcement. When the letters UT-RGV were read aloud, a cheer rang out across the packed room.

I was a bit on edge that UTPA was one of the options, said Robert Cruz, 27, a music major. I wanted to be part of something original.

The name was selected over other options: the University of Texas-South and UTPA. But UT-RGV was the clear favorite in Brownsville.

From Nov. 11 to Dec. 6, more than 20,000 people some using social media, others making phone calls weighed in on their preferred name for the new university.

Amid an outpouring of support from students and alumni, UTPA was a late addition to the list of options.

UT-RGV probably makes the most sense, said Russell Harwood, director of the UTB chess program. Outside of Texas, people might not be familiar with the Rio Grande Valley, but we're proud of it.

Link:
Name for merged university is UT-Rio Grande Valley