BREAKING NEWS: Just got this email send to me a minute ago.
The University of North Dakota has announced the formation of a new Nickname Committee to facilitate the selection of a permanent nickname. This is the continuation of the work begun by the Nickname and Logo Process Recommendation Task Force that met during the fall of 2014.
Using that Task Force’s recommendations as a starting point, the new Nickname Committee will be charged with reviewing a list of potential names, submitted via a public process soon to be announced, and developing and submitting a short list of those names for a final public vote. The University anticipates that the Nickname Committee will submit the short list of names for the vote by early May.
Members of the Nickname Committee include:
Karl Goehring, UND alumnus and former men’s hockey goal tender, Investment Consultant, Alerus Securities, Committee chair (Goehring also served on the previous Task Force, which recommended that the Task Force be represented on the new Committee)
Jazmyn Friesz, UND Health Sciences student, Student Body Chief of Staff, Committee vice chair
Landon Bahl, UND Entrepreneurship and Marketing student
John Bridewell, UND Professor of Aviation
Carla Christofferson, UND alumna, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at AECOM, Los Angeles, Calif.
Diane Hillebrand, CRA (Certified Research Administrator), UND alumna, Grant and Contract Officer for UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences, current Past President of Staff Senate and Chair of the Bylaws/Elections Committee
Dayo Idowu, UND Chemical Engineering student and current men’s football student athlete
Dr. Leander “Russ” McDonald, three-time UND alumnus and President, United Tribes Technical College
Chelsea Moser, UND Accountancy student and current women’s volleyball student athlete
Lowell Schweigert, UND alumnus and football letterwinner, long-time Champions Club member, current UND Booster Chair, Financial Consultant and Business Owner, Northern Plains Financial
Dave St. Peter, UND alumnus and President, Minnesota Twins
Susan Walton, UND’s Vice President for University and Public Affairs, will once again serve as project manager for the Committee. Communications support will be provided by University and Public Affairs Division personnel.
The Nickname Committee will not engage a professional facilitator. However, based on recommendations from the previous Task Force, collegiate branding expert Kelly O’Keefe, who provided branding counsel to that group, will join the Nickname Committee’s meetings by phone to provide counsel and discuss best practices.
The first meeting of the Nickname Committee is expected to take place the week of March 9.
