In this day and age, the name of a university is not arbitrary, as it not only represents the image of the university, but also influences the direction of the university and the public's perception of it.
A loud and appropriate school name can add luster to a school, while an incongruous school name can be an obstacle to school development.
Referring to some of the 211 Project universities in our country, they have excelled in academic research and scientific and technological innovation, but due to the change of school name, the reputation has been damaged.
Donghua UniversityLocated in the bustling city of Shanghai, this university was once known for its outstanding achievements in the textile field and was known as the "cradle of China's textile university".
The school's origins can be traced back to 1912, when the patriotic industrialist Zhang Jian founded the Textile Dyeing Institute in Nantong, which was the predecessor of Donghua University.
Over time, this school merged the textile disciplines of several universities across the country and became one of the key universities in the country.
However, in the 90s, China's textile industry suffered a decline, and the school's leadership decided to change the name of the school to a new one, Donghua University, with the aim of transforming it into a comprehensive university and reducing its dependence on textile majors.
Although the initial intention of this change was positive, the results were not ideal. Rather than improving the school's reputation, it has declined and its excellence in the textile sector has become less prominent.
Chang'an UniversityLocated in the historic city of Xi'an, this university was formed by the merger of Xi'an Highway and Jiaotong University, Xi'an Institute of Technology, and Northwest Institute of Architecture and Engineering.
The school enjoys a high reputation in the fields of highways, geology and construction engineering, and is known as the "Whampoa Military Academy" in the field of highways and bridges.
However, since the name change to Chang'an University, the school's popularity and public favorability have been affected to a certain extent.
Many people are confused about the school's professional strengths and positioning, which creates challenges for the school in terms of enrollment and social impact.
Jiangnan UniversityThis college located in the beautiful scenery of Wuxi is famous for light industry education and is also one of the 211 project universities in China.
Its predecessor was Sanjiang Normal School, which was finally determined to be Jiangnan University after many mergers and renamings.
Despite its remarkable achievements in areas such as food science and life science technology, the name "Gangnam" can easily be misconstrued as a regional or smaller school, which affects the overall image and recognition of the school.
Hohai UniversityLocated in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, this university has a long history, and its roots can be traced back to the "River and Sea Engineering College" established in 1915, and is one of the earliest water conservancy talent training bases in China.
As a 211 project university directly under the Ministry of Education, Hohai University has received special support from the Ministry of Water Resources.
In 1952, several universities with water conservancy disciplines merged to form the East China Institute of Water Conservancy, and in 1960, it was identified as a national key university.
In 1985, the school was renamed "Hohai University" again.
Although the name "River and Sea" fits the school's identity, in the eyes of some students and parents, the name lacks regional characteristics and appears somewhat arbitrary, resulting in the school's reputation not matching its academic prowess.
In fact, Hohai University has made remarkable achievements in the fields of hydraulic engineering, environmental science and engineering, and civil engineering, and is one of the key universities in China with water conservancy as its characteristics.
However, even with this excellence, Hohai University is still often misunderstood by some students and parents, and in the end, these problems are largely due to the confusion caused by the school's name.