On August 1, 2008, Tri-State University will officially be renamed Trine University, according to Jerry Allen, vice chair of the TSU board of trustees. In addition, the board voted to rename the Angola campus the Tri-State campus to appropriately recognize the history of the institution and embrace its past. Board members met at the campus Saturday to finalize their decision on the name change.

The announcement is the culmination of a three-year discussion by the board to change the university’s name. The original name change task force was appointed in 2005, and after careful review and deliberation, brought forth the recommendation to the board of trustees to change the name of the institution. TSU President Earl D. Brooks II made a public announcement in May of the board’s intention to incorporate the family name of  successful alumnus Ralph Trine and his wife, Sheri, who have been long-term university supporters and partners, into the new name, following the original decision to change the name of the institution.

Brooks said in May that the university, established as a non-denominational normal college in 1884, has become a much more comprehensive institution with a broader education focus over the years. The name change will help the university re-position itself from the original three-state service area, and differentiate it from the many entities claiming a tri-state identity across the country, he said. Changing the name will also alleviate any confusion about its private status by removing any reference to a state university.

The institution has evolved since its founding, leading to its recognition in recent years as a comprehensive institution, and to rankings for four consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.

The university has demonstrated significant recent growth. The largest fall class in 10 years, 496 students, enrolled for the fall semester, representing a 33 percent increase over last year. The year’s freshman class represents students from 15 states and 10 foreign countries, demonstrating further how TSU has exceeded its regional boundaries. Overall institutional enrollment has increased 11 percent, according to an admission application report from the TSU Office of Admission.

Over the past five years, the university has undertaken an ambitious $90 million capital campaign to enhance its campus, programs, technology, and faculty. Of that goal, $70 million has already been raised in the effort to increase the university’s offerings and strengthen its position as a premier institution of higher learning. The board approved the name change as part of that momentum and the university’s transformation as a new, revived, and vibrant institution.