We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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University Branding Update

Over the years the university has adopted various different brand identities in an effort to build awareness for our relatively young and unknown institution. Building strong awareness and our reputation in the marketplace helps reinforce the value of your degree. Depending on which class you were a part of, you may remember a different university ‘brand name’ or logo, but our official name has―and always will―remain the University of Ontario Institute of Technology.

This past September President Steven Murphy encouraged the campus community to explore the possibility of using a new moniker to help promote our socially conscious, tech university. Since introducing the potential new short moniker ‘ONTechU,’ the university has benefited from significant feedback through various consultations held during the fall, as well as discussions with many people and groups across our campus and externally.

With the benefit of feedback received during the fall consultations, the university’s Communications and Marketing team has led the process to develop and introduce a new brand, and have worked with a leading external agency to develop various brand identities. A cross-university Brand Advisory Group has also provided input.

Based on these criteria and feedback from the consultations, the brand names under consideration have been: “ONTech”, “Ontario Tech” and “Ontario Institute of Technology”. While many suggested the ‘University of Ontario’, it was not considered because it does not differentiate the university from the rest of the pack. The university’s official name will remain ‘University of Ontario Institute of Technology’, and it will continue to be used on official documentation such as parchments. However, the new brand name will be used in all communications to market the institution and build our awareness and reputation.

The university is now at the stage where it has narrowed down its final brand name and proposed a new visual identity design. These will be shared with the campus community during a special New Brand Preview Week where faculty, staff, students, and alumni have an opportunity to visit one of our showcase sessions. The official brand launch will take place later in March.

We have a great university. We need to help people learn about the amazing things happening here and make it easy for them to understand who we are. Our new branding will represent a change for us, and it will help us advance the university, tell our story and build a brand we can all be proud of.

To learn more about the university’s rebrand journey, visit the Brand Central website.