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Recently, two phenomena have been discussed in higher education-specific media: (1) the prevalence of institutional mergers to promote longevity and (2) institutional rebranding to improve public perceptions and increase enrollment through enhanced and/or clarified missions (Wexler 2015). Although such has been reported in The Chronicle of Higher Education and U.S. News and World Report as recent developments, neither can be considered "new." Throughout the history of American higher education, mergers and renamings have been relatively common, especially given economic crises (Burke 1982; Martin, Samels, and Associates 2009). Although U.S. higher education has existed since the seventeenth-century, statistical analysis of historical data indicates that national/international financial difficulties throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twentyfirst centuries have forced college administrators to consider mergers and institutional rebranding to improve organizational subsistence.
While decisions to amalgamate colleges and/or revise university titles are difficult, each can produce lasting results (Martin, Samels, and Associates 2009). Examples of mergers include the 1934 amalgamation of Straight College and New Orleans University to produce Dillard University and the melding of Macon State College and Middle Georgia College to form Middle Georgia State College in 2015. Examples of renaming include the 1965 title change of Middle Tennessee State College to Middle Tennessee State University and Hannibal-LaGrange College becoming HannibalLaGrange University in 2010 (Brown 2014).
According to Jeffrey Pfeffer and Gerald R. Salancik (2003), organizations such as colleges and universities have, in the past, responded to changing economics through various strategies to maintain viability. Negative financial contexts (e.g., recessions, panics, etc.) can influence an organization's ability to survive by means of influencing both human and capital resources. In times of economic stress, therefore, it is necessary to adapt, combine existing resources, and craft an organizational image resonant of societal wants. To do so can bolster viability and better align organizations with the needs of potential clientele. Indeed, institutional mergers, which consist of dismantling two or more institutions to create a singular, stronger organization, are a direct response to unstable economics. Though not always desired, a merger can prolong the existence of the amalgamated institution (Martin, Samels, and Associates 2009). When institutions merge, a title change may accompany the consolidation. However, renamings are not solely connected to mergers and often occur due to administrative reactions to external factors...